The Democratic National Convention (DNC) opened with a strong showing, drawing an average of 20 million viewers across 13 networks, according to Nielsen. This surpasses the 18.1 million who watched the Republican National Convention (RNC) on its first night last month and also exceeds the 19.75 million viewers from the 2020 DNC, despite the latter’s COVID-19 restrictions and higher cable TV subscriptions. However, it did not reach the 25.95 million who tuned in for the 2016 convention’s debut.
This performance may not sit well with former President Donald Trump, who has been speculating whether Vice President Kamala Harris’ nomination speech could outperform his own RNC appearances in terms of viewership.
Donald Trump
Trump’s interest in media ratings means that any comparison with Harris’ speech will be closely scrutinized. Historically, RNC viewership varied, with notable peaks on the final night, and similar fluctuations are expected for the DNC.
Chris Wallace, former Fox News Sunday anchor, noted that Trump’s fixation on ratings would likely make this data particularly frustrating for him. Wallace made this observation during a CNN discussion, emphasizing that Trump’s obsession with media performance could make the DNC’s higher viewership a sore point.
The first night of the RNC featured speakers with direct ties to Trump, such as Senator Tim Scott and Representative Byron Donalds, along with Teamsters union president Sean O’Brien. In contrast, the DNC showcased high-profile figures like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and President Joe Biden, who delivered a moving farewell after fifty years in public service.
