The debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump marked the most-watched moment of the 2024 presidential campaign|@KamalaHarris; Gage Skidmore|X; CC BY-SA 2.0
The first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump drew 67.1 million live viewers, according to Nielsen.
The numbers surpassed the 51 million who watched President Joe Biden and Trump debate in June.
Younger audiences, especially those aged 18–54, boosted viewership by 50%. Key topics included abortion, immigration and the 2020 election.
ABC News led with 19.1 million viewers, followed by NBC with 10 million, while Fox News attracted 9.1 million. CNN, which hosted the Biden-Trump debate, saw the lowest viewership among major networks.
However, the total number of viewers fell compared to 2016, when 84 million viewers tuned in to watch the first debate between Trump and Hillary Clinton.
The Harris-Trump debate viewership numbers are expected to climb as the data doesn’t account for the millions who watched the exchange on social media, streaming platforms and online.