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Big ‘60 Minutes’ Trump Show Gets Brutal Reality Check
The Daily Beast • • world
Key Points:
- The 60 Minutes interview with President Donald Trump, conducted by new correspondent Ross Douthat, attracted 7.8 million viewers, marking a more than 25% decline from the previous week and the second-lowest Trump episode rating since 2015.
- Among the key 25-54 age demographic, viewership dropped to 918,000, less than half compared to the same week last year, highlighting a significant decline in advertiser-coveted audience numbers.
- The episode's ratings were also 44% lower than Trump's November 2025 interview, which benefited from an NFL lead-in, a factor absent in the latest broadcast.
- Despite the ratings drop, Douthat's interviewing style received praise across political and media lines, noted for being polite yet persistent, marking a strong debut for the former New York Times columnist in television journalism.
- The ratings decline poses challenges for CBS executive Bari Weiss, who recently overhauled 60 Minutes' staff and leadership amid pressure to justify the changes following a previous period of viewership growth under former executive producer Tanya Simon.
