Kristen Welker’s debut as moderator of Meet the Press, featuring an interview with former President Donald Trump, drew 2.98 million viewers, topping other broadcast network Sunday talk shows.
But CBS’s Face the Nation edged out Meet the Press in the 25-54 demo, according to Nielsen numbers.
Face the Nation averaged 2.58 million total viewers, while This Week posted 2.44 million.
In the 25-54 demo, Face the Nation averaged 494,000, compared to 491,000 for Meet the Press and 447,000 for This Week. A caveat: Face the Nation’s numbers come from its first half hour, as not all affiliates carry the second portion of the program.
According to CBS, Face the Nation still ranks atop total viewers for the season and in the demo.
Welker’s interview with Trump made news, but he spent much of the sit down deflecting and trafficking in unfounded claims and mistruths. It reflected an ongoing debate in journalism over whether to feature the former president in such interviews, given the difficulty in real-time fact checking.