Trump Triumph Complete: CNN Ratings Drop 94% After Declaring War on Incoming President
If you take a close look at cable news viewership trends, you’ll see reasons for both optimism and disappointment.
Still, optimism dominates when considering the broader picture of President-elect Donald Trump’s victory over his establishment opponents at CNN.
To gauge the extent of that victory, note that since CNN began its ill-fated campaign against Trump in 2016, the network, once the reigning force in prime-time cable news, has lost 94 percent of its viewership, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail.
Back in 2016, CNN held the top spot among cable news networks, boasting an average of 13.3 million prime-time viewers.
Amazingly, that figure now hovers around only 800,000 — a steep drop of 93.99 percent.
CNN’s ratings on 2024 election night highlighted this decline.
On Nov. 5, CNN attracted only 5.1 million viewers compared to MSNBC’s 6 million. Meanwhile, Fox News claimed the lead with 10.3 million viewers.
So, it was hardly surprising when news surfaced last week that CNN plans extensive layoffs, including on-air personalities.
CNN, of course, still has notorious Trump critics like Jim Acosta and Jake Tapper. Reliable establishment figures like Anderson Cooper, Dana Bash, and Kaitlan Collins also remain at the network.
Cooper’s salary of $20 million per year far exceeds that of Collins, who reportedly earns $3 million.
Thus, new CEO Mark Thompson faces some tough decisions.
In short, should CNN continue its costly, ineffective crusade against Trump? Or should it take a more sensible approach by amplifying some of its more favorable voices?
And that brings us to the aforementioned reasons for disappointment.
As flawed as CNN has been since 2016, it’s not beyond redemption — at least, not in comparison.
For example, host Erin Burnett has, at times, demonstrated genuine fairness.
Similarly, token conservative commentator Scott Jennings has emerged as a notable figure at CNN.
So why the disappointment? The shift of liberal viewers from CNN to MSNBC suggests they crave what MSNBC provides. And we know what that entails.
While CNN tempers its anti-Trump slant with occasional nods to authentic journalism, MSNBC lacks such restraint.
On CNN, liberal audiences may encounter a different perspective from commentators like Jennings or even Burnett.
On the other hand, MSNBC offers only unwavering voices like unrepentant racist Joy Reid and pathological liar Rachel Maddow.
Put simply, if viewership trends reveal anything, it’s that liberal audiences prefer these echo chambers. And this doesn’t bode well for truth or reconciliation.
Nonetheless, we still have reason to celebrate — and marvel at — Trump’s resounding victory over his CNN adversaries.