An estimated 32.6 million people have watched President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on television

Date:


Trump’s State of the Union address seen by 32.6 million people, down 4 million from 2025 speech

AP logo

Updated: 8:20 PM MST Feb 26, 2026

Editorial Standards

An estimated 32.6 million people watched President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address this week, down four million from his speech to Congress last year and the smallest audience he’s ever gotten for the annual message.The Nielsen company said that his speech — the longest televised State of the Union address by any president, was seen on 15 different television networks.Related video above: Breaking down President Trump’s proposals for housing, power bills and retirementTrump never dipped below 37.1 million for his four addresses in his first term. He exceeded 40 million viewers from 2017 through 2019, with a peak of 47.7 million for his first one, Nielsen said.His audience on Tuesday was comparable to that of his predecessor Joe Biden’s final State of the Union in 2024, where he reached 32.2 million viewers. The State of the Union address remains one of the most-watched television events of the year, particularly with an older audience: 23.6 million of Trump’s audience Tuesday night was aged 55 and up.Fox News Channel was easily the destination of choice, with 9.1 million of Trump’s viewers watching that network. ABC News came in second with 5.1 million, and no other television network exceeded 3.6 million.Video below: Catch up on the State of the Union address in 60 seconds

An estimated 32.6 million people watched President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address this week, down four million from his speech to Congress last year and the smallest audience he’s ever gotten for the annual message.

The Nielsen company said that his speech — the longest televised State of the Union address by any president, was seen on 15 different television networks.

Related video above: Breaking down President Trump’s proposals for housing, power bills and retirement

Trump never dipped below 37.1 million for his four addresses in his first term. He exceeded 40 million viewers from 2017 through 2019, with a peak of 47.7 million for his first one, Nielsen said.

His audience on Tuesday was comparable to that of his predecessor Joe Biden’s final State of the Union in 2024, where he reached 32.2 million viewers. The State of the Union address remains one of the most-watched television events of the year, particularly with an older audience: 23.6 million of Trump’s audience Tuesday night was aged 55 and up.

Fox News Channel was easily the destination of choice, with 9.1 million of Trump’s viewers watching that network. ABC News came in second with 5.1 million, and no other television network exceeded 3.6 million.

Video below: Catch up on the State of the Union address in 60 seconds



Source link

Share post:

Subscribe

spot_imgspot_img

Popular

More like this
Related

Remember When Johnny Cash Gave His Final Public Performance?

Johnny Cash was just weeks away from death and...

Opinion | AI and the Data Center Backlash

Companies will need ‘direct’ energy sources rather than rely...

Cleveland Heights to honor Olympic gold medalist Laila Edwards

Ryan S. ClarkFeb 26, 2026, 06:14 PM ETCloseRyan S....

Burger King’s new AI agent will listen to orders, ‘coach’ workers

Burger King has introduced an AI chatbot into its...