Monday's ceremony follows the usual pattern for presidents beginning a second term. Donald Trump ‘s second inauguration as president wasn’t as widely viewed as his first, keeping with a historical pattern for second-term presidents.

The Trump regime got off to a rocky start. The inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 47th president of the United States on Monday (Jan. 20, 2025) drew approximately 24.6 million viewers, according to Nielsen data,

President Donald Trump’s early inauguration ratings are in, and it appears a sophomore slump has hit viewership of his second term. Nielsen found that ratings across ABC, CBS and NBC’s coverage of Trump’s swearing in as 47th president on Monday hovered around 26.

An average of 24.6 million viewers watched Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president of the United States on Monday per Nielsen. That’s a lower total than what was achieved by both of the two most recent inauguration broadcasts: 27% below the 33.

Fox News was the most-watched network for the event while MSNBC topped CNN for inauguration coverage for the first time.

Viewership for the inauguration was down from President Joe Biden’s 2021 ceremony, according to Nielsen figures.

Donald Trump drew fewer viewers across six major cable and broadcast networks for his inauguration swearing in and address, according to Nielsen. Across the six major cable and broadcast networks, the inauguration drew about 27.