MSNBC may not have landed a presidential debate, but it did score the first solo one-on-one interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. On Wednesday night, the Democratic candidate sat down with 11th Hour host Stephanie Ruhle… and almost 3 million Americans.
According to fast national numbers from Nielsen, 1.8 million total viewers tuned in during the 7 p.m. hour of All In with Chris Hayes, which hosted the interview’s first airing. Another 1.1 million watched the 11 p.m. replay on Ruhle’s program. (No word yet if New York Times opinion columnist Bret Stephens was among them.)
That’s down from the 6.3 million viewers who watched Harris and running mate Tim Walz speak with CNN’s Dana Bash earlier this month—their first interview since taking over the Democratic ticket from President Joe Biden.
Nielsen numbers for Wednesday also indicate that 2.2 million viewers watched the episode of The Ingraham Angle that aired on Fox News opposite All In. Last week, former President Donald Trump‘s appearance on Gutfeld! was seen by nearly 5 million viewers.
The Harris campaign has notably sought to move beyond legacy media interviews in favor of reaching voters through different platforms. Harris participated in a livestreamed Unite for America rally with Oprah Winfrey on Sept. 19 and the 2024 Democratic National Convention made a point of bringing content creators into the fold alongside traditional press outlets.
“Most people, especially young people, are consuming a significant portion of their news on social,” Eric Dahan, founder of the influencer-focused marketing agency Mighty Joy, told TVNewser last month, adding that he wouldn’t be surprised to see Harris agreeing to an interview with a prominent online personality.
“Doing a one-on-one format or something a little more controlled is probably better,” Dahan advised. There’s always Hot Ones…
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