Former President Donald Trump’s first television interview since his conviction in a New York state criminal case brought 1.174 million viewers to the Fox News Channel on Sunday, according to Nielsen data reviewed by The Desk.
During the interview, Trump asserted that his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records and other criminal activity amounted to a “weaponization” of the legal system, which he characterized as “a very dangerous thing.”
The case centered around business documents Trump and others altered in order to conceal payments made to adult film star Stephanie Clifford, better known by her screen name “Stormy Daniels.” Trump paid Clifford through his then-personal attorney, Michael Cohen, then reimbursed Cohen under the guise of “legal expenses.”
Trump has maintained his innocence in the matter. Cohen testified against the former president last month.
News is a tough sell for most TV fans on Sunday mornings: Despite each broadcast network offering their own version of a political affairs and current events show, most turn to the tube for live sports during the day and hit series at night.
Still, Trump’s first sit-down interview was attractive enough to bring nearly 2 million viewers to Fox, with its total viewership higher than the average Fox & Friends Weekend audience of 1.07 million in May and 1.056 million since the start of 2024.
Trump is scheduled to make at least one other appearance later this month: A televised debate involving President Joe Biden, who is his opposition heading into the 2024 Presidential Election.
On Fox & Friends Weekend, Trump did not say whether he still plans to appear at the debate in light of his guilty verdict. When asked about how he is preparing for the debate, Trump said he “won every debate” in 2016 when he first ran for president.
The debate is scheduled to take place on June 27 and will be produced by CNN. The network has agreed to make a video feed of the debate available to other news outlets.
