Screentime

Trump-Biden Audience Plummets 14% in Second, Subdued Debate

Presidential candidates debated with rival’s microphones muted
Fox News led in total audience, Disney’s ABC was second

Joe Biden and Donald Trump during the U.S. presidential debate at Belmont University.Photographer: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/Bloomberg

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By Christopher Palmeri and Gerry Smith

October 23, 2020 at 12:18 PM EDT

Updated on

October 23, 2020 at 6:21 PM EDT

This article is for subscribers only.

The final presidential debate of the 2020 campaign attracted 63 million viewers, a 14% decline from Donald Trump and Joe Biden’s first matchup.

The total from Thursday night was far below the 73.1 million who tuned in to watch the initial debate between the two candidates on Sept. 29, according to Nielsen data.