Trump’s Second Inauguration Draws 24.6 Million TV Viewers, Lowest Since 2013

While TV ratings for Trump’s second swearing-in dropped significantly, streaming platforms and social media saw substantial engagement.

Nielsen data shows 24.6 million television viewers watched Trump's second inauguration, a 27% decline from Biden's 2021 ceremony and 20% lower than Trump's 2017 inauguration.
Fox News led TV viewership with 10.3 million viewers during key moments, far outpacing other networks like ABC, NBC, and CNN.
Streaming platforms like YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), and Rumble saw millions of additional views, with X reporting 673 million video views and 4.8 billion impressions.
Older audiences dominated TV viewership, with 71% of viewers aged 55 and above, while younger demographics increasingly turned to digital platforms for coverage.
Historically, second-term inaugurations attract smaller audiences, and Trump’s unique nonconsecutive presidency followed this trend.