Second 2024 GOP Primary Debate Viewership Drops 27% From First Debate to 9.5 Million

The second Republican presidential primary debate averaged 9.5 million viewers across Fox News, Fox Business, Univision, and streaming, down 27% from the first debate's 13 million.
The debate was still the highest-rated program on TV that night but had the lowest viewership for a GOP debate since Trump entered the 2016 race.
Trump skipped the debate, instead giving a speech viewed by 500,000, while the debate featured combative exchanges between Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie and others.
In contrast, Trump's first debate in August 2015 drew an outsized 24 million viewers at the start of the 2016 cycle.
Analysts attribute the lower viewership to less interest without Trump on stage and declining cable news audiences tuning into debates.