It’s official—the media got it utterly wrong. For years, mainstream outlets painted Donald Trump as a fading relic, all but guaranteeing Kamala Harris a spot in the Oval Office. They showered Harris with praise, calling her a “sure thing” and “the future of America,” while relentlessly blasting Trump and his supporters.

The press cheered on every investigation, lawsuit, and probe aimed at Trump, convinced it would bury his political future. But as the election night results came in, it was the media that got buried. Trump didn’t just win—he won big. And Republicans swept into control of the government, leaving pundits scrambling to explain how they missed it by a mile.

And now, the media is facing some serious backlash. Two particularly left-leaning networks, CNN and MSNBC, were all too happy to see Trump “taken down.” As Trump’s victory spread across the airwaves, they faced some bad news.

From Daily Wire:
MSNBC’s and CNN’s ratings plummeted after President-elect’s Donald Trump’s landslide victory against Vice President Kamala Harris was announced in the early morning hours on Wednesday after the election…

Primetime coverage for both networks was even worse, with MSNBC host Alex Wagner experiencing her lowest-rated show ever and Chris Hayes’ show scoring its worst audience since May of 2016, the outlet noted.

Viewers Flee as CNN and MSNBC Ratings Tank

When the news broke of Trump’s landslide victory over Kamala Harris, viewers were glued to their screens. Well, some screens, at least. Ratings tell the story. According to Nielsen, MSNBC managed just 596,000 viewers on Thursday, the day after Trump’s victory was announced.

In the all-important 25-54 age demographic, they pulled in a mere 71,000 viewers. Over at CNN, it wasn’t much better. The network drew in 419,000 total viewers, with just 91,000 from that key age group.

Primetime was even worse. MSNBC’s Alex Wagner hit her lowest ratings ever, while Chris Hayes saw his worst numbers since 2016. Viewers, it seems, have had enough. MSNBC’s numbers dropped 23% year over year, while CNN’s audience collapsed by a staggering 40%.

By contrast, Fox News was booming. Their coverage of Trump’s win brought in a massive 2.6 million viewers, with 375,000 in the key demo—up more than 60% from the previous year.

Fox News Reigns Supreme as Election Night Dominates

Fox News had a field day with election night coverage, raking in a jaw-dropping 10.3 million viewers during primetime hours, from 8-11 p.m. EST. MSNBC’s numbers were nowhere close, and CNN’s were even worse.

Election night was so bleak for CNN that its audience was practically cut in half compared to 2020, dropping from 9.6 million viewers down to a modest 5.1 million. Fox’s win was nothing short of a ratings landslide, while the liberal networks floundered.

ABC, NBC, and CBS didn’t fare much better. Their audience numbers dropped, too, compared to the 2020 election coverage of Trump vs. Biden. ABC’s viewership slipped by 6%, while NBC was down 5%.

But CBS took the hardest hit, with its election night coverage viewership plunging 20% to 3.61 million compared to its 2020 numbers. Looks like viewers have had their fill of mainstream media predictions.

Trump’s Return Leaves Mainstream Media in Shambles

So, what happened? The mainstream media put all their chips on Harris and lost big. They underestimated Trump, his message, and his supporters.

Worse, they underestimated the American people, who wanted real change, not media bias. In their rush to dismiss Trump, they failed to understand the sentiment sweeping the country.

Now, networks like CNN and MSNBC are left scrambling to regain credibility, or at least hold onto some of their viewers. The media spent years building a narrative about Trump that simply didn’t stick.

With his landslide win and the Republican sweep, Trump isn’t just back; he’s back in charge. And for the press, it’s a stark reminder that Americans won’t be so easily swayed by biased reporting.

As for the networks that backed Harris, they’ve been hit with a dose of reality. Maybe next time, they’ll listen to the people rather than push their own agenda. For now, Trump and the GOP are celebrating a major win, and the media is left licking its wounds.

Key Takeaways

• Media Fails Big: The press misread Trump’s popularity, and viewers noticed.
• Ratings Collapse: CNN and MSNBC’s ratings dropped as Fox News surged.
• Trump Triumphant: Trump’s victory has changed the media landscape.

Source: Daily Wire