CNN’s Chris Wallace noted that the ratings for the Democratic National Convention have surpassed those of the Republican National Convention, a fact that will likely not go over well with the ratings-osessesd ex-president Donald Trump.
Wallace pointed out the difference in viewership between the two political conventions during Wednesday’s edition of The Situation Room when he was asked to assess the convention and whether it is “break[ing] through in ways that aren’t traditional.”
“More than 20 million people watched,” Wallace said according to a clip shared by Mediaite. “And by comparison, 14 million plus watched the Republican Convention on the second night. So, people are watching this convention.”
For three nights in a row, the DNC has beaten the RNC’s ratings on TV.
Nielsen estimated the first night of the DNC drew an audience of 20 million compared to 18.1 million for the RNC.
The second night of the DNC–featuring speeches from former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama–drew an estimated audience of nearly 20.8 million viewers. In comparison, 14.8 million people tuned in to watch the RNC on its second night.
Nielsen noted that during former President Obama’s address on night 2, viewership spiked to 21.6 million, above the night’s average.
New numbers out Thursday, shows the DNC beating the RNC for a third straight day in ratings with an estimated 11.7 million viewers tuning in across seven combined television networks, compared to 9.1 million viewers for the RNC on its third day.
It remains to be seen whether the ratings for the final night of the DNC where Kamala Harris will accept the nomination will surpass the RNC’s.
Usually, the final day of the conventions draw the most viewers. In 2016, 29.8 million people tuned in to watch Hilary Clinton accept the nomination, while 24.6 watched Joe Biden in 2020.
Last month, an estimated 25.3 million people tuned in to watch Trump accept the Republican Party nomination.
According to Rolling Stone, the ratings-obsessed former president has been privately worried that Harris’ speech will draw more viewers than his did.
