ABC News US Presidential Debate Draws 67.1 Million TV Viewers, According to Reuters

By Helen Coster

NEW YORK – The recent U.S. presidential debate featuring Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump drew an impressive 67.1 million television viewers, as reported by Nielsen.

This debate marked the first face-to-face encounter between the candidates leading up to the presidential election on November 5.

The audience surpassed the approximately 51 million who watched Trump debate then-candidate President Joe Biden earlier this year.

However, these figures do not account for online viewing, which has increasingly gained traction as traditional television viewership declines.

The highest TV viewership for a presidential debate was recorded in 2016, when 84 million people tuned in to see Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton debate Trump.