President Trump’s 60 Minutes interview on Sunday, drew 13.2 million viewers—the highest-rated episode since January 2021 and a 59% surge over the season average—powered by a 31 million-viewer NFL lead-in and the president’s first sit-down with the program in five years.
The CBS broadcast, airing at 7:30 p.m. ET from Mar-a-Lago, topped all non-sports programs for the week, delivering a 2.8 rating in adults 25-54 (best since 2021) and 2.1 in adults 18-49. It retained 42% of the Chiefs-Bills audience despite daylight-saving confusion.
An extended 73-minute cut on YouTube has already surpassed 8 million views. The interview marked Trump’s return to 60 Minutes after a five-year absence and followed CBS’s $16 million settlement with the president over a 2024 Kamala Harris edit.
Clips of Trump discussing ICE raids, Venezuela, and teasing an early walk-out fueled viral spread, with X posts garnering 22 million impressions.
For context, the October 2024 Harris-only episode drew 10.1 million, while Trump’s 2020 walk-out episode hit 16.8 million. Sunday’s 13.2 million ranks as the second-highest post-inauguration 60 Minutes telecast in the modern era.