Donald Trump predicts boring Democratic debate with poor ratings
Donald Trump speaks during a No Labels Problem Solver convention on Oct. 12 in Manchester, N.H. (Photo: Jim Cole/AP)
Need a sleeping aid?
Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump doubts his Democratic counterparts have enough charisma to muster up serious interest in their first debate Tuesday, which will be hosted in Las Vegas by CNN.
The real estate mogul’s meteoric rise to the top of the GOP polls — accompanied by continual news cycles of his often unpredictable comments — has drawn significant attention, turning the Republicans’ first two primetime debates into must-see TV.
But Trump, who famously attacked Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for lacking energy, does not think the Democratic candidates have what it takes to mirror that feat.
“Well, I think it’s not gonna be very well rated because Trump isn’t in the debate — I’m only kidding,” he told reporters, as seen in an ABC News video. “I think it’s not gonna be highly rated. I think it’s going to be, you’re gonna watch it for 10 or 15 minutes, and people are gonna get bored and turn it off.”
Considering Trump’s often evident sense of self-worth, it’s doubtful he was completely kidding about the effect of his absence on viewership. But it’s also doubtful he’s wrong.
Trump greets audience members at the No Labels Problem Solver convention. (Photo: Brian Snyder/Reuters)
The first GOP debate, hosted by Fox News in Cleveland on Aug. 6, drew 24 million viewers. According to data from Nielsen Media Research, it was the highest-rated nonsports cable broadcast in television history. The second GOP debate, hosted by CNN in Simi Valley, Calif., on Sept. 16, drew 23 million.
To their credit, CNN officials do not expect the first Democratic debate that they are hosting to attract similar ratings.
“Viewership for the first two GOP debates was an anomaly in a highly unusual Republican nomination cycle,” Sam Feist, the network’s Washington bureau chief, said to Politico. “While I won’t predict ratings for this debate, we expect the audience to be significantly smaller.”
Another obstacle standing in the way of a ratings juggernaut is Major League Baseball’s postseason schedule for Tuesday: the St. Louis Cardinals vs. the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. the New York Mets.
Trump said he plans to tune in but doubts the Democratic candidates will hold his attention.
“I’ll be watching. I don’t know how long,” he said. “It’s gonna be hard to watch. I think it’s not going to be a very exciting debate.”
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