It’s official: the media got it wrong—spectacularly wrong. For years, they painted Donald Trump as a fading relic, a figure on his way out, all while hyping Kamala Harris as America’s next big thing. Mainstream outlets practically rolled out the red carpet for Harris, heralding her as a “sure thing” and the “future of America.” They’d barely finished showering her with praise when the reality of election night came crashing in. Trump didn’t just win; he won big. And with him came a Republican wave, seizing control of the government while pundits scrambled to explain how they’d managed to miss it by a mile.
And now? The media’s facing serious backlash, especially the left-leaning darlings—CNN and MSNBC. These networks practically cheered every investigation, every lawsuit, and every probe aimed at taking Trump down, convinced it would finally bury his political career. But with Trump’s victory sweeping across the airwaves, it’s their ratings that are now buried six feet under.
According to the Daily Wire, the aftermath has been brutal. MSNBC and CNN watched their ratings nosedive the day after Trump’s win. MSNBC could barely scrape together 596,000 viewers—an embarrassing low for the network—while CNN didn’t fare much better, pulling in a dismal 419,000. And the coveted 25-54 age demographic? MSNBC snagged just 71,000, while CNN eked out 91,000. Compare that to Fox News, whose coverage of Trump’s victory blew past the competition with 2.6 million viewers, including a whopping 375,000 in that key demo, up more than 60% from the previous year.
Primetime was even more painful. MSNBC’s Alex Wagner and Chris Hayes both hit record lows, with Hayes posting his worst ratings since May 2016. Viewers, it seems, have had enough of these networks’ relentless anti-Trump narrative. MSNBC saw a 23% drop year-over-year, and CNN took a walloping 40% plunge.
Fox News Takes the Crown as Election Night Champion
Over at Fox News, election night was a ratings bonanza. Primetime coverage from 8-11 p.m. EST brought in a jaw-dropping 10.3 million viewers. CNN and MSNBC? Not even close. CNN’s audience was practically cut in half from 2020, falling from 9.6 million to a paltry 5.1 million. And while Fox News basked in a ratings surge, the liberal networks floundered.
The same story played out across the other major networks. ABC, NBC, and CBS didn’t fare much better than their cable counterparts, all suffering drops in viewership compared to their 2020 Trump vs. Biden coverage. ABC’s numbers slipped by 6%, NBC by 5%, and CBS took the hardest hit, with a massive 20% plunge to just 3.61 million viewers. It’s safe to say viewers have had their fill of mainstream media’s echo chamber predictions.
The Media’s Blind Bet on Harris Just Blew Up
So, how did they miss this? In their rush to crown Harris and dismiss Trump, the media lost sight of a simple truth: the American people don’t take well to being told what they think. They underestimated Trump’s appeal and, more importantly, underestimated the public’s appetite for change and skepticism of media bias. CNN and MSNBC bet big on a narrative that just didn’t stick, and now they’re left scrambling to pick up the pieces.
For years, they crafted a story about Trump’s supposed downfall, convinced that Americans were ready to move on. But they failed to recognize the sentiment sweeping the nation. Voters weren’t looking for “business as usual” or mainstream media’s seal of approval. They wanted someone who they felt spoke to them, not to the media elites.
Trump’s landslide and the Republican sweep leave no question about who’s back in charge. And for the press, this election is a reality check. Americans are tired of being spoon-fed a story that doesn’t match what they see and feel. Networks like CNN and MSNBC now face an uphill battle to regain credibility—or at least keep a few viewers from flipping the channel.
As the GOP celebrates a major win, the liberal media is left licking its wounds, reeling from the loss of both viewership and trust. Will they learn from this, or keep peddling the same old story? Only time will tell. But one thing’s clear: next time, they might want to try listening to the people instead of talking at them.
