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An estimated 67.1 million people tuned in to watch the presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, marking a 31% increase from the June debate between Trump and President Joe Biden, which saw Biden withdraw from the 2024 race.
As reported by The Guardian, the debate, hosted by ABC News and broadcast on 17 networks, garnered nearly 16 million more viewers than the June event, according to Nielsen data. While the latest debate fell short of the 2016 record—when 84 million people watched Trump and Hillary Clinton’s first confrontation—it exceeded the 73.1 million who watched the 2020 Trump-Biden debate.
Viewership among adults aged 18-49 saw a notable rise, with 53% more in this demographic watching the Harris-Trump face-off compared to the Biden-Trump event. Fox News drew the highest cable audience with 9.1 million viewers, a network known for its favorable coverage of Trump.
A CNN flash poll indicated that 63% of debate viewers believed Harris outperformed Trump, a shift from the 50-50 split in pre-debate expectations. While Trump’s campaign declared victory, insiders acknowledged doubts about whether the debate swayed undecided voters.
In an unexpected turn, pop star Taylor Swift endorsed the Harris-Walz ticket via Instagram shortly after the debate, driving nearly 338,000 new visitors to Vote.gov, according to government figures. Swift’s endorsement could hold sway among voters under 35, with 30% saying they are more likely to support a candidate she backs, per polling conducted for Newsweek.
No additional presidential debates are currently scheduled, although the Harris campaign has called for more. CBS will host a vice-presidential debate between Tim Walz and JD Vance on October 1.
[Information sourced from The Guardian]
