Jump to contentAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleTrump departs after addressing attendees on the first day of the 2026 Republican National Convention at the American Airlines Center (Getty)Viewing figures show President Donald Trump’s 105-minute keynote address at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas drew an average of 2.5 million Fox News viewers, failing to deliver a typical rating surge. Major television networks including CNN, CBS, ABC, and MSNOW declined to air the full speech, which clashed directly with the NFL season opener. Trump claimed on Truth Social that convention viewing numbers beat the NFL game, despite official figures for the game being unavailable and historically drawing over 20 million viewers. Large sections of empty seats were visible in the Dallas arena despite claims that the event was packed, leading some Republican operatives to characterize the convention as a disaster. Trump concluded the two-day summit by leading the audience in a modified Pledge of Allegiance, urging followers to vote for Republican candidates in the upcoming midterm elections. In fullTrump’s opening-night convention speech was seen by fewer people than Fox News’ Hannity and Gutfeld! showsMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Trump suffers ratings embarrassment after boasting convention beat the NFL
Jump to contentAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleTrump departs after addressing attendees on the first day of the 2026 Republican National Convention at the American Airlines Center (Getty)Viewing figures show President Donald Trump’s 105-minute keynote address at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas drew an average of 2.5 million Fox News viewers, failing to deliver a typical rating surge. Major television networks including CNN, CBS, ABC, and MSNOW declined to air the full speech, which clashed directly with the NFL season opener. Trump claimed on Truth Social that convention viewing numbers beat the NFL game, despite official figures for the game being unavailable and historically drawing over 20 million viewers. Large sections of empty seats were visible in the Dallas arena despite claims that the event was packed, leading some Republican operatives to characterize the convention as a disaster. Trump concluded the two-day summit by leading the audience in a modified Pledge of Allegiance, urging followers to vote for Republican candidates in the upcoming midterm elections. In fullTrump’s opening-night convention speech was seen by fewer people than Fox News’ Hannity and Gutfeld! showsMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
