In the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s sweeping 2024 election victory, MSNBC is facing a massive drop in viewership as audiences tune out from its left-leaning coverage. The numbers tell the story: MSNBC’s primetime viewership nosedived a stunning 54% in the days immediately following Trump’s win, according to Nielsen Media Research data reported by Fox News. It’s a clear sign that the network’s loyal base, once energized by anti-Trump sentiment, is increasingly disillusioned.
Before the election, MSNBC drew an average of 1.1 million daily viewers throughout October. Yet from Wednesday to Friday after Election Day, that number sank to a daily average of just 736,000. This 31% drop comes as no surprise given Trump’s decisive victory, which saw him sweep the popular vote and clinch all seven key swing states. Meanwhile, Fox News saw its ratings soar, with a 61% spike during the same period, solidifying its place as the nation’s top conservative news source.
The hardest-hit hours for MSNBC came in its primetime slots, typically dominated by the network’s most prominent anchors. Shows like *Alex Wagner Tonight*, *All In with Chris Hayes*, and *The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell* saw viewership plummet to 808,000—a 54% decline from the network’s October primetime average of 1.8 million. The loss was especially evident considering MSNBC’s election night coverage, led by Rachel Maddow, peaked at 6 million viewers—just under Fox’s dominant 10.3 million viewers but higher than CNN’s 5.1 million.
Even liberal media figures are sounding the alarm. Sharon Waxman, a former *New York Times* correspondent and founder of *The Wrap*, called for a “total rethink” of media coverage following the election, writing, “If you’re like me, you haven’t turned on the news since last Tuesday when Donald Trump won the election.” She expressed exhaustion with MSNBC’s endless narrative, writing, “Personally, I can’t bear to listen to another minute of wisdom from Joy Reid, my friend Lawrence O’Donnell, or the admirable Rachel Maddow.” Her words capture the discontentment felt by many as mainstream media continues to double down on leftist perspectives, driving viewers away.
In addition to a general drop in total viewership, MSNBC’s core audience—the coveted 25-54 demographic that advertisers prioritize—also took a sharp hit. Primetime viewership for this age group dropped a staggering 57%, signaling a serious shift in audience loyalty. Other hosts, including Andrea Mitchell, Nicolle Wallace, Joy Reid, and Chris Jansing, experienced some of their lowest ratings of the year post-election.
This latest viewership slump follows a familiar pattern for MSNBC. Following the 2016 election, MSNBC also saw sharp declines, only to rebound in later years with four of its most-watched years between 2017 and 2020. However, this time, the drop feels more pronounced as MSNBC faces a competitive media landscape with an emboldened conservative viewership.
It seems that, once again, viewers are holding MSNBC accountable for pushing narratives that ultimately fail to align with reality. Just like in 2019, when Rachel Maddow’s show suffered a 19% drop in ratings after the Justice Department found no evidence of collusion between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia, viewers are again walking away.
With CNN also reporting significant losses—down 36% compared to its October averages—the message is clear: viewers are increasingly tired of the left-wing echo chamber. As Fox News continues to dominate, MSNBC’s ratings collapse raises the question: can the network hold onto its audience, or are we witnessing the start of a lasting shift? For now, MSNBC’s steep decline in ratings reveals a deep dissatisfaction among viewers and signals a media landscape that may be realigning around Trump’s latest win.
