The second Republican presidential debate hosted on Wednesday had the lowest TV viewership since 2015, NBC News reported.
The Nielsen ratings service stated that about 9.3 million people watched the second debate, compared to the first debate’s approximately 12.8 million viewers, NBC News reported. The 27 percent decline in viewers was a steep loss compared to the 2016 cycle, which saw a four percent drop in viewership between the first and second debate, the outlet noted.
“Nearly twice as many people are watching a channel streaming Trump’s speech than the promoted GOP debate on Rumble,” Richard Baris, a pollster and political pundit, noticed Wednesday. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Trump Rips RNC, Says They Have To Stop Debates)
Nearly twice as many people are watching a channel streaming Trump’s speech than the promoted GOP debate on Rumble.
— Rich Baris “The People’s Pundit” (@Peoples_Pundit) September 28, 2023
Former President Donald Trump decided to host a rally with current and former members of the United Auto Workers’s (UAW) union Wednesday in Michigan instead of attending the debate. He also skipped the first debate back in August citing his strong polling lead.
I will be releasing parts of my interview with Trump on his plane throughout the day. Here is the first piece:
EXCLUSIVE: Trump Rips RNC, Says They Have To Stop Debates
Read more here first for @DailyCaller: https://t.co/qKLdFUgLbh
— Henry Rodgers (@henryrodgersdc) September 28, 2023
NBC News similarly noted polling showing Trump with about 60 percent Republican support in the primary. The outlet added that an unusually high proportion of voters had already made up their minds on who had earned their vote.
“They have to stop the debates. Because it is just bad for the Republican Party. They are not going anywhere. There is not going to be a breakout candidate,” Trump told the Caller. “I am very concerned about the RNC not being able to do their job.”
Trump also confirmed he will not be attending the third debate in Miami, Florida, scheduled for November.