Fox News lost 27% of its total-day audience and nearly one-third of its younger viewers in October, while President Donald Trump criticized the network’s election coverage and questions mounted over its political contributions and programming decisions.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Fox News recorded its lowest monthly audience among adults ages 25 to 54 in approximately 25 years during October, according to newly released Nielsen ratings, as the network faces growing criticism from President Donald Trump and his allies over its coverage of Democratic candidates ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
The network averaged 1.1 million total-day viewers, a 27% decline from October 2025, while its audience in the advertising industry’s key 25-54 demographic fell 32% to 98,000. The figures represent Fox News’ smallest overall daily audience since December 2023 and its weakest performance among younger viewers in a quarter-century.
The declines extended into prime time, where Fox averaged approximately 2.01 million viewers on weekdays, down 28% from a year earlier. Viewership among adults ages 25 to 54 dropped 36% to 183,000, according to Nielsen figures reported by TheWrap on Oct. 28.
Across all seven days of the week, Fox averaged 1.68 million prime-time viewers, including 145,000 in the key demographic. Despite the year-over-year losses, the network remained cable news’ ratings leader, attracting more viewers than CNN and MS NOW combined.
Fox’s flagship morning program, “Fox & Friends,” averaged fewer than 1 million viewers for the second consecutive month. The program also recorded its weakest overall audience since 2015 and its lowest performance among adults ages 25 to 54 since 2001.
The ratings decline coincides with increasingly public disagreements between Trump and Fox News executives over the network’s treatment of Republican candidates, its willingness to interview Democrats and its decisions to limit live coverage of presidential campaign rallies.
Trump accused Fox of giving disproportionate attention to Republican opponents in an Oct. 25 Truth Social statement.
“FoxNews is spending far too much time putting on the OPPONENTS of Republican Party Candidates,” Trump wrote, arguing that Republican candidates were receiving insufficient coverage despite what he considers their strong policies and political positions.
In another post, Trump complained, “Fox is promoting the Dumocrats, not the Republicans and MAGA. They have totally lost their way!”
The president has encouraged supporters to seek coverage from alternative conservative outlets, including Newsmax and Right Side Broadcasting Network, and has suggested that Fox would share responsibility if Republicans lose control of Congress.
The dispute comes as CNN has reported that some Fox personnel believe Trump’s rallies no longer generate the television audiences they once attracted. Fox has reduced live coverage of several presidential appearances, prompting speculation about the network’s programming priorities and its relationship with the Republican administration.
“This is coming from the top down,” an unnamed Fox host told CNN in an Oct. 8 examination of the network’s coverage decisions.
The host added, “Trump doesn’t rate anymore.”
CNN also reported that “the Murdochs are thinking about a post-Trump era and looking ahead to the 2028 presidential election,” describing speculation that Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan may be considering how Fox’s programming will evolve after Trump’s presidency.
The network has not publicly confirmed that its political coverage reflects a strategic shift toward the next presidential election. Fox has continued providing favorable coverage of Trump and his administration, including interviews with senior officials and broadcasts of presidential appearances.
The criticism has nevertheless intensified as administration officials and conservative commentators question the network’s editorial direction.
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro publicly urged viewers to abandon Fox, saying, “Turn off Fox News,” and describing its programming as “RINO TV every day.”
Navarro has also criticized Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott following the network’s September departure of longtime anchor Maria Bartiromo, who had developed a close relationship with Trump and frequently interviewed administration officials.
“She just went out and fired Maria Bartiromo,” Navarro said of Scott, adding, “that place is out of control.”
Fox News Media announced Bartiromo’s departure Sept. 3, ending her 12½-year association with the company. The network replaced her weekday Fox Business program, “Mornings with Maria,” and reassigned her Sunday program, “Sunday Morning Futures,” to other hosts.
Trump responded to the announcement by praising Bartiromo’s journalism and warning that viewers would be disappointed.
“Maria is a total professional, and a true warrior. Her fans, of which there are many, will not be happy. God bless you, Maria!” Trump wrote.
Fox said the decision concerned business considerations, although Bartiromo’s attorney disputed accounts that she had been fired.
The network’s political spending has also drawn scrutiny amid the dispute over its coverage of Republican and Democratic candidates.
Federal Election Commission records and corporate political disclosures identify contributions by Fox-related political organizations to candidates and committees affiliated with both parties. A reported analysis of the current election cycle identified at least $268,500 in contributions to Democratic candidates and political organizations.
The reported recipients include House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who received $2,500, and Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who received $1,000. Other Democratic lawmakers identified in the figures include Reps. Ted Lieu of California, $2,500; Pete Aguilar of California, $5,000; Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania, $2,500; and Gregory Meeks of New York, $2,500.
Additional reported contributions include $50,000 to the California Democratic Party, $30,000 each to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and $10,000 each to the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, CHC Bold PAC and New Democrat Coalition Action Fund.
Fox Corporation’s own political activities disclosure confirms contributions to organizations across the political spectrum, including $50,000 to the California Democratic Party and $90,000 to the California Republican Party. The disclosure covers an earlier reporting period, and the full reported $268,500 Democratic contribution total for the current cycle could not be independently reconciled from that document alone.
Corporate political contributions do not establish that recipients influence a news organization’s editorial decisions. The reported total also does not account for any additional spending through organizations that are not required to publicly disclose their donors.
Meanwhile, Fox’s declining ratings contrast with gains recorded by its principal cable news competitors.
MS NOW averaged 588,000 total-day viewers in October, an increase of 16% from the previous year, while its audience among adults ages 25 to 54 grew 38% to 62,000. CNN averaged 402,000 daily viewers, up 3%, with its key demographic audience also increasing to approximately 60,000.
Both networks reported increases in weekday prime-time audiences. MS NOW averaged 1.16 million viewers, a 15% improvement, while CNN attracted 644,000, an increase of 16%.
Fox nevertheless maintained a commanding advantage in total viewership, capturing approximately 53% of the combined cable news audience during the day and 52% in prime time.
The network also continued to perform strongly online. In an Oct. 28 corporate announcement, Fox reported more than 3.8 billion YouTube video views through Oct. 27, compared with approximately 3 billion for MS NOW and 2.4 billion for CNN.
Fox’s “The Five” remained the most-watched program in cable news, averaging approximately 2.7 million viewers, followed by “Jesse Watters Primetime” with 2.34 million and “Special Report with Bret Baier” with 2.02 million.
The Nielsen figures establish a significant year-over-year decline in Fox’s television audience, but they do not establish how many viewers stopped watching because of disagreements with Trump, programming changes or other factors affecting cable news consumption.
The network’s television audience also remains larger than those of its principal competitors, even as CNN and MS NOW recorded gains during the same period.
With the midterm elections approaching, the dispute between Trump and Fox has placed additional attention on the relationship between conservative political leadership and the country’s most-watched cable news organization.
The October ratings demonstrate that Fox is entering the election with substantially fewer traditional television viewers than it had a year earlier, while the network continues to defend its overall audience leadership and expand its digital reach.
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