Second GOP debate ratings: Viewership drops by more than 25 percent

Ratings for the second Republican presidential debate Wednesday are in — and the 26 percent decline is not a good sign for candidates not named Donald Trump.

Around 9.5 million people tuned into the debate, which was broadcast on Fox Business Network and simultaneously played on Fox News, where most people tuned in, and Univision, the network said Thursday. In comparison, almost 13 million people watched the first debate, which Fox hosted at the end of August.

The falling viewership comes alongside seemingly tepid appetites from Republican primary voters to choose anyone other than Trump, who despite facing dozens of criminal charges has stood head and shoulders above the rest of the field in polling. The former president has refused to show up for the debates and has run counterprogramming for both of the events so far — he first chatted with Tucker Carlson on X, and then he visited automobile workers in Michigan this week.

His campaign has already said he would not attend the next scheduled debate, which is slated for Miami at the beginning of November. Running his race like an incumbent, Trump has already set his eyes toward tackling President Joe Biden over the other candidates in the field, issuing a message on abortion that has drawn some ire from the most conservative parts of his party.

Trump has held a monumental lead in the polls throughout much of the race — leading his second-placing candidate, almost always Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, by 30 or more points in most surveys — and the first debate did little to change the dynamic.

Back in 2015, when Trump was a fresh novelty in the Republican Party and the race was perceived as much more competitive, primary debates set viewership records left and right. The first primary debate of the 2016 cycle drew 24 million watchers, and the second had slightly lower viewership at 23 million. In fact, all 12 debates of that primary cycle, from August 2015 to March 2016, had more than 11 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Before the second debate even ended Wednesday night, Trump’s campaign put out a statement pushing for the end of the events, calling them a waste of time that would not change the race's trajectory.