Trump’s Convention Speech Viewership Falls Short of Fox News’ Hannity and Gutfeld!

Trump's convention speech drew fewer viewers than Fox News' Hannity and Gutfeld! shows, according to early data.

September 11, 2026 One Min Read

POLICY WIRE — Dallas, United States — President Donald Trump’s opening-night speech at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas attracted fewer viewers than a typical broadcast of Fox News’ Hannity and Gutfeld! program, according to early Nielsen figures.

The two-day event, which included Trump’s keynote address on Wednesday and a closing speech on Thursday, did not generate the expected surge in viewership for Fox News, as reported by The New York Times and Mediate. During the time slot when the speech aired, an average of 2.5 million people tuned in, below the usual audience for the late-night shows.

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While Fox was one of the few major networks to air the full speech, competitors like CNN, CBS, ABC, and MSNOW chose not to broadcast it in its entirety. Right-wing network NewsMax and C-SPAN also aired the remarks. Trump’s speech, in which he promised $5,000 to each adult American if voters help Republicans retain control in the 2026 midterms, faced competition from the NFL season opener. Despite this, Trump claimed his speech outperformed the game, though official numbers are pending.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)

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