Washington D.C: In a highly anticipated political face-off, the presidential debate between U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, broadcast by ABC News, attracted a staggering 67 million viewers, according to television ratings service Nielsen. This marked a significant increase over the 51.3 million viewers who tuned in for the June 29 debate between Trump and then-President Joe Biden, hosted by CNN.
Harris, who assumed the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination after Biden stepped down, faced Trump in a debate that aired across a broad range of networks, including ABC, CNN, CBS, Fox, NBC, and Telemundo. Other outlets such as MSNBC, Fox News Channel, Newsmax, Univision, and PBS also carried the event, making it widely accessible across the U.S.
The spike in viewership highlights growing interest as Harris became the first woman of color to take the presidential debate stage, adding a historic layer to the already charged political atmosphere. The 67 million figure includes out-of-home viewing on all major networks except Merritt Street, Newsmax, PBS, NewsNation, and Scripps News, which didn’t report those additional numbers.
For context, the 2016 presidential debate between Donald Trump and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton still holds the record with 84 million viewers, the highest in debate history. However, the Harris-Trump debate has drawn closer attention, with analysts citing heightened public engagement due to the shifts in the Democratic ticket and the ongoing political tensions.
With the U.S. election cycle heating up, this debate marked a pivotal moment, setting the tone for what promises to be a highly contentious race.
