Fewer Americans tuned into the State of the Union this year, even as President Donald Trump delivered the longest one in history.
Preliminary data released by Nielsen on Wednesday showed an estimated 12 percent decrease in total viewership for the State of the Union Address across the seven most-watched networks: ABC, CBS, CNN, MS Now, NBC, Fox News, and the Fox broadcast network.
Trump’s 108-minute-long speech drew about 27.8 million viewers, down from an audience of 31.45 million for his address to a joint session of Congress last year.
Fox News Channel led the way with 9.1 million viewers between 9:15 and 11 p.m. ET, though it still saw a 15-percent year-over-year drop in total viewers. It was trailed by ABC News with 5.1 million viewers, NBC with 3.6 million, and CBS with 3.3 million.
CNN and MS NOW each logged about 2 million viewers, marking double-digit year-over-year growth.
The White House did not immediately return a request for comment. The Hollywood Reporter noted that a decline in State of the Union viewership after the president’s first year in office is fairly common in recent history, citing a similar downtrend for Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as Trump in his first term.
Trump, 79, stayed mostly on message as he touted the supposed success of his first year back in office, announced several awards for everyone from a hockey goaltender to a military hero, and introduced multiple guests to put a face to his policies.
The president also welcomed the U.S. men’s hockey team early into his speech to laud their victory in the Winter Olympics in Italy.
“President Trump absolutely knocked it out of the park tonight,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on her personal X account. “I am so proud to work for him, and so proud to be an American!”
Democrats, meanwhile, didn’t miss the opportunity to protest. Texas Rep. Al Green got kicked out for holding a sign that read “Black People Aren’t Apes,” in an apparent reference to Trump’s racist Truth Social post depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle as apes.
Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar and Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib also heckled Trump mid-speech, triggering a fresh social media meltdown from the president.
“When people can behave like that, and knowing that they are Crooked and Corrupt Politicians, so bad for our Country, we should send them back from where they came — as fast as possible,” he wrote in a lengthy rant. “They can only damage the United States of America, they can do nothing to help it.”
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