Joe Biden has emerged the winner in Thursday’s non-presidential debate against Donald Trump.
Biden’s town hall on ABC — which aired opposite Trump’s town hall on NBC — drew 13.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen. That beats the 13 million viewers who tuned in to watch Trump, Nielsen reports. Biden also bested Trump in the 18-49 demographic with a 2.6 rating, compared to Trump’s 1.7, per Nielsen.
Biden’s town hall drew almost a million more viewers than Trump’s, according to early TV ratings.
The figures are particularly surprising given Biden's town hall aired on just one network, whereas Trump's was simulcast across three. https://t.co/AaG0gGH2ee
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) October 16, 2020
NBC became the target of widespread criticism after it revealed Wednesday it had scheduled Trump’s town hall in the same time slot as Biden’s. The candidates had originally been set to face off in the second presidential debate Thursday, but it was canceled after Trump balked at plans to hold it virtually.
Do the ratings surprise you? Is Trump’s campaign in trouble?