WATCH: The kick-off to the 2016 Republican race to the White House drew a stunning 24 million total viewers in the U.S. – three times the audience for any previous primary debate. It’s largely due to one larger-than-life candidate who, critics say, is sucking all the oxygen out of the Republican race. However, Donald Trump didn’t get an easy ride. Jackson Proskow reports.
NEW YORK – An estimated 24 million people watched Fox News Channel’s prime-time debate with the top 10 Republican presidential candidates, the highest-rated broadcast in the network’s history.
The Nielsen company said Thursday’s debate ratings more than doubled Fox News’ best ratings in the past, for election night 2012. A debate with seven lower-polling candidates earlier Thursday had 6.1 million viewers.
Get breaking National news
READ MORE: Trump drags Rosie O’Donnell into debate, calls Megyn Kelly a ‘bimbo’
The debate turned into a slugfest with front-runner Donald Trump in particular feeling the heat. He tweeted out criticism of the network’s three moderators as “not very good or professional” and retweeted a message from a supporter who called the network’s Megyn Kelly a “bimbo.”
- B.C. First Nations explore if nuclear power could meet province’s electricity needs
- Ontario PC MPPs who spent big on hotels face questions as minister resigns
- 2 Saskatchewan research farms to stay open as province enters MOU with Ottawa
- How Canada helped in past U.S. wildfires as Ford says some are ‘chirping’
WATCH: The ten top-polling Republican Presidential candidates participated in the first GOP-sanctioned debate. It was a still a crowded field, but one candidate in particular managed to steal the spotlight – again. Craig Boswell reports.
Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes defended his moderators, calling it “the best political debate team ever put on television.”
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.