Biden beats Trump in battle of the town halls

Events were vastly different television spectacles, befitting their protagonists

Television ratings matter to US President Donald Trump. So these numbers may sting. In a victory that few in the TV and political arenas predicted, Joe Biden’s townhall- style forum on ABC on Thursday night drew a larger audience than Trump’s competing event on NBC, according to Nielsen.

Biden’s town- hall meeting, which aired on a single network, was seen by an average of 15.1 million viewers, compared with 13.5 million for Trump even though the president monopolised three networks — NBC, MSNBC and CNBC — simultaneously. The town halls were vastly different television spectacles, befitting their respective protagonists. For an hour on NBC, Trump was darting and defiant as the Today host

Savannah Guthrie pressed him to denounce QAnon and white supremacy ( Trump hesitated on both) and clear up questions about his medical condition.

On ABC, Biden and the moderator George Stephanopoulos engaged in a sober 90- minute policy discussion more akin to a

PBS telecast. ( Politico wrote that flipping back and forth between the two was like “going from Bob Ross to ‘ WrestleMania’.”)

At a rally on Friday, Trump complained that Biden was given “easy questions” by ABC and claimed, without basis, that Guthrie was “not too popular right now.”

Surge in final minutes

Viewership for Biden’s event, which began at 8pm, rose as the night continued, surging to an average audience of 16.7 million in the final 30 minutes after Trump and NBC’s forum had gone off the air, according to Nielsen. ( Biden’s viewership bested Trump even without the assist fromhis extra half- hour).

At a rally in Ocala, Florida, on Friday, Trump complained that Biden was given “easy questions” by ABC and claimed, without basis, that Guthrie was “not too popular right now.”