x
Breaking News
More () »

Viewership down sharply for Trump's State of the Union

Nearly 10 million fewer people than last year tuned in for the speech widely seen as a kickoff to his campaign.

President Donald Trump had nearly 10 million fewer viewers for his State of the Union address this year than he did last year.

The Nielsen company estimated that 37.2 million people saw the president Tuesday night, for a speech widely seen as the kickoff to his reelection campaign.

Last year's speech had 46.8 million viewers.

Only one major network saw an increase over last year, and that was Fox News Channel, where many of Trump's fans congregate. An estimated 11.6 million people watched Trump speak on Fox News, more than double any other network. That was an increase in 2% for Fox News from last year.

RELATED: VERIFY: Did Speaker Pelosi break the law when she ripped President Trump's speech?

RELATED: VERIFY: Fact-checking Trump's 2020 State of the Union address and the Democratic response

A decline in viewership in the State of the Union is nothing new. The Associated Press reports President Barack Obama's final such address in 2016 had 31 million viewers. But, his 2012 speech -- which was the last of his first term before re-election -- had 37.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen. That's about 500,000 more than Trump's Tuesday speech.

Before You Leave, Check This Out