Second Republican primary debate had the lowest TV viewership since 2015

When it comes to debates, the question of ratings is usually little more than a curiosity. But in the face of polling showing Donald Trump approaching 60% support among Republican primary voters — and an unusually high proportion of those voters saying their minds are already made up — it took on new significance last night.

With the former president again skipping the debate, how much interest would there be in hearing out a collection of non-Trump candidates?

The answer, per the Nielsen ratings service: about 9.3 million people. That’s a steep drop from the first debate, which was also held without Trump and attracted about 12.8 million viewers. It also represents — by a significant margin — the lowest TV audience for any Republican presidential debate since the start of the 2016 cycle, when Trump first became a candidate. 

Below is a chart of estimated viewerships for all GOP debates since the 2016 cycle. While it is true that the TV and streaming world has changed significantly over the last eight years — potentially explaining some of the audience slippage — there’s no escaping that last night represented a low water mark for Trump-era GOP debate interest.

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Even though it was broadcast on Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel and Univision, it still attracted roughly 3.4 million fewer viewers than the first GOP debate just one month ago, which was hosted by the Fox News Channel. That’s a decline of 27%. By contrast, the decline between the first and second debates of the 2016 cycle — both of which featured Trump — was just 4%.

In a press release Thursday, Fox News said another 200,000 viewers watched on streaming platforms. The numbers in the chart below reflect TV viewership only.