PRIME TIME

Trump’s Afghanistan Speech Draws 28 Million Viewers

Obama’s Afghanistan speech in 2009 averaged 40.8 million viewers.

About 28 million people tuned in across the seven biggest network and cable channels to watch President Trump's prime time address to the nation about the Afghanistan war on Monday night, according to preliminary Nielsen data. The ratings lagged compared to addresses given by past presidents, though final viewership numbers might rise, CNN reported Tuesday. President Obama's 2009 prime time address about Afghanistan averaged 40.8 million viewers. The ratings were also lower than those of Trump's past speeches. His February address to a joint session of Congress averaged 48 million viewers, while the announcement of Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch drew 33 million viewers.