TV Ratings: Inauguration Viewers Drop, Big Day for FOX News

Donald Trump's second inauguration drew fewer viewers compared to his first and Joe Biden's 2021 inauguration. 

According to Nielsen, the 2025 inauguration had 24.59 million viewers, while Biden's 2021 inauguration had 33.76 million viewers, and Trump's first in 2017 had 30.64 million viewers. The viewership peaked during Trump's inaugural address at 12:15 PM ET.

Fox News led the viewership with 10.67 million, followed by ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, CNN, and MSNBC. The viewership breakdown showed that 17.4 million viewers were 55 and above, 4.67 million were 35-54, and 1.43 million were 18-34.

Second presidential inaugurations typically draw fewer viewers than the first. For example, Barack Obama's first inauguration in 2009 drew about 37.8 million viewers, while his second in 2013 had about 20.6 million viewers.

The rankings were a predictable reflection of partisanship: Four years ago, when Biden was entering office, Fox News drew the smallest of the major networks, albeit that was 2.74 million. CNN drew the largest viewership — almost 10 million, while MSNBC garnered 6.53 million.