Ratings-obsessed Trump won't be happy with the early town hall numbers


President Trump appears to be losing the ratings war to Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Early ratings so far suggest Biden's Thursday town hall on ABC drew in 12.7 million viewers, Variety reports. Meanwhile Trump's simultaneously-held town hall event brought in 10.4 million viewers, early ratings indicate.
Trump has been focused on his TV ratings long before he entered the White House. He spent the early days of his presidency dragging Arnold Schwarzenegger, his Celebrity Apprentice replacement, for bringing in lower ratings than he'd once gotten, and carried that obsession into the COVID-19 pandemic as he boasted his task force press conferences were beating out news networks and reality shows.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Biden scheduled his ABC town hall first after Trump dropped out of the town-hall style presidential debate they were set to appear at Thursday night. Trump later scheduled one at the same time with NBC, which aired on more channels and platforms than Biden's, but was half an hour shorter. Updated ratings could still put Trump ahead, but for now, Biden appears to have the ratings advantage. Expect a tweet from Trump trying to prove the ratings wrong shortly.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
September 14 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include RFK Jr on the hook, the destruction of discourse, and more
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-war
Talking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
Crossword: September 14, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Russia slams Kyiv, hits government building
Speed Read This was Moscow's largest aerial assault since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022
-
China's Xi hosts Modi, Putin, Kim in challenge to US
Speed Read Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Asian leaders at an SCO summit
-
Russian strike on Kyiv kills 23, hits EU offices
Speed Read The strike was the second-largest since Russia invaded in 2022
-
UN votes to end Lebanon peacekeeping mission
Speed Read The Trump administration considers the UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to be a 'waste of money'
-
Israeli double strike on Gaza hospital kills 20
Speed Read The dead include five journalists who worked for The Associated Press, Reuters and Al Jazeera
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Kyiv marks independence as Russia downplays peace
Speed Read President Vladimir Putin has no plans to meet with Zelenskyy for peace talks pushed by President Donald Trump
-
Trump halts Gaza visas as Israelis protest war
Speed Read Laura Loomer voiced her concerns over injured Palestinian kids being brought to the US for treatment and a potential 'Islamic invasion'