President Donald Trump said Thursday that the first night of the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas surpassed the NFL season opener in overall audience numbers, although he did not release viewership figures or identify the measurement behind the comparison.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
President Donald Trump declared the opening night of the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas a major success Thursday morning, saying the event drew larger overall numbers than the NFL season opener despite the two broadcasts competing for viewers Wednesday night.
“The Republican Midterm Convention last night, in Dallas, was a major, sold-out hit, far bigger, better, and more important than anyone thought possible,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“It was really something, streaming all over the place, and really big numbers, despite going up against the NFL. The overall numbers beat the NFL,” he added.
Trump did not provide audience figures with the post or specify whether his comparison included television audiences, online streaming, social media viewing or a combination of platforms. Official viewership figures for Wednesday night’s NFL game had not been released as of Thursday morning.
Trump is scheduled to return to the convention Thursday night following Vice President JD Vance’s address and deliver the gathering’s closing remarks.
“I’ll be there again tonight to close out the show,” Trump wrote. “Exciting ‘Stuff!’ MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
Wednesday’s convention programming went head-to-head with the NFL season opener between the New England Patriots and defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. The nationally televised football game began at 8:20 p.m. Eastern, while Trump began his convention address shortly after 9 p.m.
Seattle defeated New England 13-10.
The scheduling clash attracted attention before the convention because of the enormous audiences traditionally generated by NFL broadcasts. According to Nielsen figures cited by The Wall Street Journal, the previous year’s season-opening game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys reached a peak audience of 34.4 million viewers. Trump’s acceptance speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention drew 28.4 million viewers.
Trump also said Thursday that Wednesday’s gathering established an attendance record at American Airlines Center, the Dallas arena used by the NBA’s Mavericks and NHL’s Stars.
“The Arena, which was really nice, beat its own attendance records. The place was packed!” Trump wrote. “There were thousands of people outside who couldn’t get in. Screens were provided.”
“I guess people LOVE TRUMP POLITICS!” he added.
The Republican gathering is the party’s first midterm convention and was organized to promote GOP candidates and the party’s agenda ahead of November’s congressional elections.
During his Wednesday address, Trump urged Republican supporters to approach the midterms as though his own name were appearing on the ballot as the party seeks to retain control of both the House and Senate.
His Thursday morning comments shifted attention to the reach of the convention itself, with Trump portraying the first night as having successfully competed against one of television’s most established audience draws.
Whether Trump’s claim that the convention surpassed the NFL opener is supported by comparable audience measurements will depend on viewership data, which had not yet been released when he made the assertion Thursday morning.
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