Media

Trump scores top TV ratings for speech since taking office

by Joe Concha - 02/06/19 10:56 AM ET

President Trump’s second State of the Union address scored big ratings on Tuesday night, with the audience share increasing by more than 10 percent over last year’s speech, according to early broadcast TV numbers from Nielsen.

The four major broadcast outlets — CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox — combined for a 16.3 overnight rating during the address Tuesday night, which could result in total viewership of approximately 49 million when final numbers, to include the cable news networks and other outlets, are in later Wednesday.

That would make Trump’s speech the biggest one based on TV ratings out of any of the major speeches he has delivered since taking office.{mosads}

The rating for Trump’s Tuesday night address is better than his first State of the Union Address in January 2018, which delivered a 14.8 overnight rating, or 45.6 million viewers, across the same networks in 56 metered markets.

The 16.3 rating is also higher than Trump’s first address in office, which wasn’t officially a State of the Union but a speech to a joint session of Congress. That address, in January 2017, registered a 16.0 rating, or 48 million viewers.

Trump’s address Tuesday was mostly well-received from those tuning in, according to surveys taken after the speech. Approximately three-quarters of respondents in polls released late Tuesday by CNN and CBS approved of the address.

When compared to President Obama’s second State of the Union address in 2011, Trump’s 48 million tops the 44th president’s audience of 42.8 million viewers.

The raucous speech Tuesday night included plenty of political theatrics, with the president at times targeting Democrats in the address while also emphasizing unity.

Tags Donald Trump Nielsen ratings State of the Union