Trump reaches 36.6 million television viewers for first address to Congress in second term

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NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump reached an estimated 36.6 million television viewers for his address to Congress on Tuesday night, the Nielsen company said.

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NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump reached an estimated 36.6 million television viewers for his address to Congress on Tuesday night, the Nielsen company said.

That beat the 32.2 million people who watched former President Joe Biden’s final State of the Union address last year, but was smaller than any of Trump’s audiences for the annual address during his first term, Nielsen said.

Trump’s first speech to Congress as president, in 2017, was seen by 47.7 million people. Television viewing in general has decreased since then. Nielsen measured viewing on 15 different television networks, including those whose feed was carried on streaming services.

President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Fox News Channel, the most popular network for Trump fans, dominated viewing, reaching 10.7 million people. ABC had 6.3 million, CBS had 4 million, NBC had 3.9 million, Fox broadcast had 2.7 million and both CNN and MSNBC had 1.9 million, Nielsen said.

Nielsen said 71% of Trump’s television viewers were 55 and older.

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