Trump’s town hall was the most viewed CNN candidate event since 2020, according to Nielsen.

Donald Trump’s CNN Town Hall Draws in Record Viewership

Former President Donald Trump’s recent CNN town hall event has become the network’s most-watched candidate event in three years, according to Nielsen Media Research data. The event garnered a whopping 3.3 million viewers, making it the second most viewed town hall since CNN began broadcasting single-candidate interviews in 2016. Only a 2020 event with Joe Biden, just before the presidential election, barely topped the Trump event at 3.4 million.

The Hill reported that “That figure represents more than three times the number of viewers CNN has earned during the 8 p.m. hour in recent weeks.” While the viewership numbers have boosted CNN, the network’s anchors aren’t so happy. CNN’s Oliver Darcy included a long “self-own of backlash in his Thursday morning media newsletter,” the Washington Free Beacon reported.

Trump’s Predictions Come True

Interestingly, Trump predicted this media landscape back in 2017, saying, “Newspapers, television, all forms of media will tank if I’m not there.” CNN has seen its viewers drop since Trump left office, even as the network has booted such vehemently anti-Trump hosts as Don Lemon and Brian Stelter.

Other Networks Still Outperform CNN

While the Trump town hall event was a huge success for CNN, it is worth noting that it still falls short of the number of people who watched Trump town halls on Fox News and other networks. Nevertheless, the event’s record-breaking viewership numbers are a testament to the former president’s continued influence and popularity among the American public.

Key Takeaways:

• Donald Trump’s recent CNN town hall event was the network’s most-watched candidate event in three years, with 3.3 million viewers.
• The event was the second most viewed town hall since CNN began broadcasting single-candidate interviews in 2016.
• Trump predicted that media outlets would struggle without him, and CNN has seen its viewers drop since he left office.
• The event’s record-breaking viewership numbers are a testament to the former president’s continued influence and popularity among the American public.