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A Million More People Watched Joe Biden's Inauguration Than Donald Trump's

A Million More People Watched Joe Biden's Inauguration Than Donald Trump's

He was sworn in as the 46th US President earlier this week

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

More than a million more people tuned in to watch Joe Biden inauguration than Donald Trump's in 2017, according to figures from Nielsen. I'm sure the former POTUS will not be pleased with that news.

Across the six major TV networks, 40 million people watched the coverage of Biden's inauguration, which included performances from Lady Gaga, poet Amanda Gorman and Jennifer Lopez.

The data from Nielsen covers the 30-minute period, kicking off at 11.45am local time when Biden formally took the oath of office and gave his inaugural speech.

PA

Data from 2017 found that 38.3 million watched the same period during Trump's inauguration.

But the viewing figures pale into comparison when compared with Barack Obama's inauguration, which pulled in a whopping 51.2 million viewers.

The figures include those who watched CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC and Fox News - but don't include anyone who watched it via social media - such as a Facebook or YouTube live stream.

Figures including these numbers are expected to be released in the coming days, the Daily Mail reports.

And, of course, one person who almost certainly didn't tune in was outgoing president Trump, who broke tradition and ditched the ceremony in favour of flying back home to Florida.

Donald Trump being sworn in 2017.
PA

Biden was sworn in as the as the 46th President of the United States, with his Vice President Kamala Harris making history by becoming the first black, the first female and the first Asian American to become VP.

Biden used his speech to tell his country 'democracy had prevailed' after a troubling few weeks and months.

He said: "A new America has risen to the challenge today. We celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy.

"The people, the will of the people has been heard and the will of the people has been heeded.

"We've learnt again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. At this hour, our friends democracy has prevailed."

He went on to urge US citizens to come together to 'do great things'.

PA

"I ask every American to join me in this cause. To fight the foes we face: anger, resentment and hatred, extremism, lawlessness, violence, disease, joblessness and hopelessness.

"With unity, we can do great things, important things, we can right wrongs.

"We can put people to work in good jobs. We can teach our children in safe schools. We can overcome the deadly virus. We can reward work and rebuild the middle class and make health care secure for all. We can deliver racial justice and we can make America once again the leading force for good in the world."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: TV and Film, US News, Politics