In the days following the election of President-elect Donald J. Trump, television ratings are revealing a sharp divide in viewership trends. MSNBC, traditionally a liberal network, has experienced a major ratings drop, with its prime-time audience falling by 53% since October. Conversely, conservative-leaning Fox News has seen its viewership spike, particularly in prime time, where ratings have surged by 21%—with its total day audience jumping an impressive 38%.
The steep viewership decline for MSNBC became especially evident during “The Rachel Maddow Show,” where the network’s top-rated program saw a significant drop on Monday night. Maddow’s 26-minute monologue critically dissected Trump’s early administration appointments, but viewership fell short, averaging just 1.3 million viewers—down nearly a million from her October average. For MSNBC, the post-election ratings decrease follows a pattern observed after past elections, particularly for networks associated with opposing the winning candidate.
Fox News, on the other hand, has embraced a celebratory tone, even as some of its own contributors are joining Trump’s administration. The network’s Laura Ingraham reacted live to news that Pete Hegseth, a regular co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend,” would be nominated as Trump’s defense secretary. “Wow, that is pretty cool,” Ingraham said, lauding the appointment and expressing pride over his transition from network to national service.
Viewership shifts post-election are not new, with ratings frequently fluctuating depending on which party takes power. In 2016, MSNBC saw similar drops after Trump’s initial victory, while Fox News faced a viewership backlash in 2020 when it called the critical state of Arizona for Joe Biden. Yet each network ultimately rebounded, drawing audiences back as political events unfolded.
CNN, which has also struggled in recent months, reported a 22% decrease in overall viewership since Election Day, with a 43% drop in prime time. While CNN’s audience dropped, the network noted that millions still tuned in via its digital channels for election coverage. The broader trend, however, appears to favor Fox News, which drew more than 10 million viewers on election night, outperforming MSNBC’s six million and CNN’s 5.1 million.
MSNBC saw recent gains in the lead-up to the election, with its audience rising by 18% over August, September, and October as the campaign season heated up. The network even scored a major win on election night by surpassing CNN’s viewership for the first time in its history. However, post-election, MSNBC officials are privately acknowledging that viewership fluctuations are expected and likely temporary. In a similar vein, Fox News experienced its own comeback after viewership declines in 2020.
As 2025 approaches, questions remain about whether cable news will experience another “Trump bump.” In 2017, Trump’s presidency spurred record ratings for both CNN and MSNBC, as well as late-night talk shows that aired critical takes on his policies. But with overall declines in cable and broadcast television viewership since then, there is uncertainty about whether audiences, particularly liberal viewers, will have the same appetite for what some have dubbed “resistance television.”
As media consumption trends shift, some experts suggest that the relentless pace of political coverage over the past decade may have fatigued viewers, particularly those with liberal leanings. “People have been living in maximal consumption of Trump news for the last 10 years,” said Martin Kaplan of USC’s Norman Lear Center. “There’s a certain amount of exhaustion involved.”
Whether the coming year will bring another ratings surge or the arrival of fresh viewing habits remains to be seen, but the shifts this week have already marked a new chapter in the media landscape.
