- cross-posted to:
- usnews@beehaw.org
- cross-posted to:
- usnews@beehaw.org
Summary
Donald Trump’s second inauguration drew an estimated 24.6 million television viewers, the lowest audience for a presidential inauguration since Barack Obama’s second in 2013.
Viewership declined compared to Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration (33.8 million) and Trump’s first in 2017 (30.6 million).
Fox News led coverage, averaging 10.3 million viewers during the swearing-in and speech, while other networks saw smaller audiences.
Anyone else notice how political participation has been reduced to a consumption activity and pulling a lever to the left or the right? It’s almost like there’s a great big spectacle, and we’re all just hypnotized by the spectacle, and it’s alienated us from our surroundings and reality into mere spectators and automatons neutered from having an effect on our material conditions. Somebody should write a book about that, named something like, “Society of the Spectacle”.