Final Debate Ratings Slide 14% From Last Month And Below Every 2016 Presidential Debate

Topline

Thursday night’s debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden drew almost 63 million viewers, a nearly 14% drop from the two candidates’ first faceoff last month and a lower figure than any of 2016’s three presidential debates, according to ratings from Nielsen released Friday.

Key Facts

Key Background

The first debate of 2020 was chaotic and widely panned, largely due to Trump’s constant interruptions and a lack of substantive discussion. By comparison, Thursday’s faceoff was a far more sedate affair, partly because both candidates’ microphones were muted during their opponent’s allotted speaking times to prevent any interruptions.

Tangent

A slim majority of viewers believe Biden won the debate, according to several polls conducted afterwards. Still, Trump touted his performance in the hours following the debate, eagerly retweeting several unscientific — and often wildly inaccurate — online surveys that showed him winning by 90-point margins.

Big Number

52.7 million. That’s the total number of voters who have already cast their ballots as of Friday, according to the U.S. Elections Project. Election Day is still 11 days away, but as a record number of Americans choose to vote early, the final debate’s impact on voting may be lighter than in prior elections.

Further Reading

Biden-Trump debate ratings: Final matchup down by 10 million viewers from the first, Nielsen says (USA Today)

At 63 Million Viewers, Final Debate Is Trump’s Least Watched (New York Times)