Trump’s RNC Acceptance Speech Has Lower Ratings Than Biden’s Address Last Week, Early Data Suggests

President Donald Trump’s acceptance speech on Thursday evening at the Republican National Convention had fewer viewers than Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s address last week, early Nielsen data reveal.

Around 21.6 million Americans viewed Trump’s address at the White House on Thursday across nine television networks. Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s acceptance speech was viewed by 24.6 million Americans, according to Nielsen.

These figures do not include online viewers using streaming services to watch the speeches. Americans have been moving away from traditional TV in recent years, instead turning toward streaming platforms.

Trump's acceptance speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention garnered 32.2 million TV viewers.

Trump has frequently touted the TV ratings of his public events. In March, Trump rejoiced over the ratings of his daily press briefings amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

During an interview with the Associated Press in May 2017, Trump boasted he has delivered CBS its best ratings since the “World Trade Center came down,” a reference to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.