Fox News Sets Record As Trump’s Speech Draws 32 Million Viewers

Nearly 32 million viewers watched President Donald Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, with Fox News Channel delivering the largest single audience, 10.703 million viewers–the highest-rated joint address in cable news history.

ABC had the second biggest audience during the speech–9:15 p.m. ET through 11 p.m.–6.332 million viewers, followed by CBS (4.009 million viewers), NBC (3.909 million viewers), Fox Broadcast (2.652 million viewers), CNN (1.929 million viewers), MSNBC (1.924 million viewers), and Fox Business (245,000 viewers).

Among viewers 25-54, the key demographic valued by advertisers, Fox News was first with 1.933 million viewers, followed by ABC (1.708 million viewers), NBC (1.085 million viewers), CBS (1.065 million viewers), Fox Broadcast (892,000 viewers), CNN (585,000 viewers), MSNBC (237,000 viewers), and Fox Business (47,000 viewers).

Running to nearly 100 minutes, it was the longest speech in recent memory. The address featured one member of Congress being ejected from the chamber, and several Democrats walking out. Other Democrats announced ahead of the speech that they would not attend.

‘Historically awful…weak, weak, weak’

As Trump was delivering his speech, pollsters revealed that the president’s approval ratings had slipped, leaving him underwater for the first time since reclaiming the White House. On Tuesday, Trump’s average approval rating at FiveThirtyEight hit 47.6 percent, with 47.9 percent reporting they disapprove of Trump.

On CNN Tuesday night, correspondent Harry Enten called Trump’s approval ratings–before his address to Congress and while Trump was still showing a +1 net approval–“historically awful,” and the second worst performance by any president at this point in his administration. The worst of all? Trump himself, in 2017 during his first term, when he hit a net approval rating of -8.

Enten noted that the average president at this point in their presidency enjoyed a net +27 point approval rating. “Weak, weak, week,” Enten said. “This is not good. If this number holds, you can guarantee his overall approval rating will go down and it could take his entire presidency with him.”

‘Posing as the victim doesn’t really make America great’

While Republicans cheered the president’s speech Tuesday night, Democrats were quick to describe the speech as hyperpartisan and dangerous. Sen. Adam Schiff told NBC News the speech made America “look weak.”

“First of all, when he was talking about America as the victim of all these other countries, really, he reminded me that he views the whole world through the prism of victimhood,” Schiff told NBC’s Kristen Welker on NBC News Now. “This you know, born into wealth guy considers himself the biggest victim. He considers America nothing but a victim for a party that decries victimhood. I’ve never seen so much appeal to being victims.”

“The United States is the most powerful country in the world. We’ve been incredibly benefited by this international rules based order that we helped to create the alliance with NATO has been incredibly beneficial to our own security. He is tearing all of that down. He’s picking fights with our allies, like Canada, like the Ukraine, and for what? What does it serve the United States? It doesn’t, and I think you’re already seeing them trying to find some face saving way to do an about face on these tariffs, even today. So doing a lot of harm, posing as the victim doesn’t really make America great, it just makes America look weak.”