NEW YORK – March 5, 2025 – An estimated 36.6 million people watched President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, March 4, according to Nielsen.
Viewership peaked from 9:45 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET with 37,895,000 viewers.
This year’s audience was up over 13% compared with the 32.2 million viewers that watched President Biden’s State of the Union address in 2024. Of the 36.6 million viewers that watched President Trump’s joint address:
- 5.7% of viewers were aged 18-34.
- 20.5% of viewers were aged 35-54.
- 70.7% of viewers were aged 55 and older.
While coverage varied by network, 15 networks televised the joint address from approximately 9:15 p.m. ET until 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday. A full list of reported networks can be referenced in the viewership summary table below.
| Pres. Trump’s 2025 Joint Address to Congress Viewership Across TV Networks March 4, 2025 | ||
| Number of Viewers | Average Audience Rating | |
| Persons 2+ | 36,630,000 | 11.6 |
| Households | 25,182,000 | 20.0 |
| Persons 18-34 | 2,101,000 | 2.9 |
| Persons 35-54 | 7,515,000 | 9.2 |
| Persons 55+ | 25,908,000 | 25.7 |
Source: Nielsen. NNTV, Live+Same-Day.
Data in this table is inclusive of broadcast and cable networks that aired the event, in addition to PBS.
2025 reported networks include: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Merit Street, Telemundo, Univision, PBS, CNN, CNNe, FOX Business, FOX News Channel, MSNBC, NewsMax, NewsNation.
Audience estimates are inclusive of out-of-home viewing for all reported networks except Merit Street Media, Newsmax, NewsNation and PBS, which do not include out-of-home contributions.
Audience projections are rounded to the nearest thousand (000).
| Historical Viewership: State of the Union Addresses | ||||
| Date | Combined No. of Viewers | Combined HHLD Rating | Included Networks | President |
| 3/4/2025* | 36,630,000 | 20.0 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Merit Street, TEL, UNI, PBS, CNN, CNNe, FBN, FOXNC, MSNBC, NewsMax, NewsNation | Trump |
| 3/7/2024 | 32,232,000 | 18.5 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, TEL, UNI, PBS, CNN, CNNe, FBN, FOXNC, MSNBC, NewsMax, NewsNation, | Biden |
| 2/7/2023 | 27,312,000 | 16.1 | ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, TEL, UNI, NBCLX, PBS, CNBC, CNN, CNNe, FBN, FOXNC, MSNBC, NewsMax, NewsNation | Biden |
| 3/1/2022 | 38,197,000 | 22.4 | ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, TEL, UNI, NBCLX, PBS, Black News Channel, CNBC, CNN, CNNe, FOXNC, MSNBC, Newsmax, NewsNation | Biden |
| 4/28/2021* | 26,936,000 | 16.5 | ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, TEL, UNI, PBS, CNBC, CNN, CNNe, FBN, FOXNC, MSNBC, Newsmax, NewsNation and Newsy | Biden |
| 2/4/2020 | 37,173,000 | 22.7 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Telemundo, Univision, PBS, CNN, CNNe, FBN, FOXNC and MSNBC | Trump |
| 2/5/2019 | 46,789,000 | 28.0 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Telemundo, Univision, PBS, CNN, CNNe, FBN, FOXNC and MSNBC | Trump |
| 1/30/2018 | 45,551,000 | 26.9 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Estrella, Telemundo, Univision, CNN, FBN, FOX News, MSNBC and PBS | Trump |
| 2/28/2017* | 47,741,000 | 28.7 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, UNI, PBS, CNN, FBN Net, FOXNC, MSNBC, and NBC Universo | Trump |
| 1/12/2016 | 31,334,349 | 19.6 | ABC, Al Jazeera America, Azteca, CBS, CNN, FOX, FBN, FOXNC, Galavision, MSNBC, NBC, NBC Universo, Univision^ | Obama |
| 1/20/2015 | 31,710,349 | 19.9 | ABC, Al Jazeera America, Azteca, CBS, CNN, FOX, FBN, FOXNC, Galavision, MSNBC, MundoFOX, NBC, Univision^ | Obama |
| 1/18/2014 | 33,299,172 | 20.7 | CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, Azteca, FBN, FOXNC, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Al Jazeera America, Galavision, Mun2, UNI^ | Obama |
| 2/12/2013 | 33,497,607 | 21.8 | FOX, ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Azteca, UNI, MFX, CNBC, CNN, FBN, FOXNC, MSNBC, Current, Centric, GALA | Obama |
| 1/24/2012 | 37,752,613 | 24.0 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, TEL, TF, UNI, CNBC, CNN, FBN, FOXNC, GALA, MSNBC and MUN2 | Obama |
| 1/25/2011 | 42,789,947 | 26.6 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, TEL, UNI, CNN, Centric, CNBC, FOXNC, and MSNBC | Obama |
| 1/27/2010 | 48,009,595 | 29.8 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, TEL, UNI, CNN, BET, CNBC, FOXNC, MSNBC | Obama |
| 2/24/2009* | 52,373,000 | 32.5 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNBC, CNN, FOXNC, MSNBC, TELEMUNDO, UNIVISION | Obama |
| 1/28/2008 | 37,515,000 | 24.7 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, FOXNC, MSNBC, TELEMUNDO^, UNIVISION | G.W Bush |
| 1/23/2007 | 45,486,000 | 29.6 | ABC, CBS, FOX**, NBC, CNN, FOXNC, MSNBC, TELEMUNDO**, UNIVISION ** | G.W. Bush |
| 1/31/2006 | 43,179,000 | 35.3 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, FOXNC, MSNBC, AZTECA AMERICA, TELEFUTURA, TELEMUNDO | G.W. Bush |
| 2/2/2005 | 39,432,000 | 31.2 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, FOXNC, MSNBC, TELEFUTURA, TELEMUNDO | G.W. Bush |
| 1/20/2004 | 43,411,000 | 28.0 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, CNBC, FOXNC, MSNBC | G.W. Bush |
| 1/28/2003 | 62,061,000 | 38.8 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, CNBC, FOXNC, MSNBC | G.W. Bush |
| 1/29/2002 | 51,773,000 | 33.6 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, CNBC, FOXNC, MSNBC | G.W. Bush |
| 2/27/2001* | 39,793,000 | 27.6 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, FOXNC, MSNBC | G.W. Bush |
| 1/27/2000 | 31,478,000 | 22.4 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, FOXNC, MSNBC | Clinton |
| 1/19/1999 | 43,500,000 | 31.0 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, FOXNC, MSNBC | Clinton |
| 1/27/1998 | 53,077,000 | 37.2 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, CNBC, FOXNC, MSNBC | Clinton |
| 2/4/1997 | 41,100,000 | 28.4 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN | Clinton |
| 1/23/1996 | 40,900,000 | 29.6 | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN | Clinton |
| 1/24/1995 | 42,200,000 | 29.5 | ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN | Clinton |
| 1/25/1994 | 45,800,000 | 32.9 | ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN | Clinton |
| 2/17/1993* | 66,900,000 | 44.3 | ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN | Clinton |
Source: Nielsen
Time-shifted viewing (Live+Same-Day, 3am-3am) is included in audience estimates in this table for years 2006 and later. Estimates prior to 2006 include live viewing only.
* Single asterisks denote addresses that were officially “Addresses to Joint Sessions of Congress.”
^ Denotes tape-delayed coverage by a particular network.
** 1/23/07: coverage of asterisked (**) networks went beyond a common end time. Measurement of these networks included SOTU address and commentary. Does not include Democratic Response.
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