Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, made a big impact with her debut as host of “My View with Lara Trump,” drawing 2.4 million total viewers and making it the “most-watched program of the weekend,” according to Nielsen ratings released Tuesday by Fox News Channel. Her premiere even surpassed the college basketball game on ESPN, featuring a lineup of prominent Trump administration officials, including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“Mrs. Trump notched the most watched 9 PM/ET hour on a Saturday night since breaking news coverage of the assassination attempt of President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024,” said the Fox press release, per the Washington Times. “My View with Lara Trump” was the No. 2 non-sports telecast last weekend in the 25-54 demographic, outpacing shows like Bravo’s “Real Housewives of the Potomac” and “Married to Medicine,” as well as HBO Prime’s “The White Lotus.” The network added: “In total viewers, Mrs. Trump beat every college basketball game (1.5 million total viewers) and NBA game on ESPN (1.6 million total viewers).”
The show’s impressive debut adds to Fox News Channel’s already dominant position, leading the field in both daytime and evening programming. Fox also revealed on Tuesday that this month marks its highest-rated February ever in total viewership, up 50% compared to last year, and an impressive 68% increase in the 25-54 demographic. Fox consistently outperforms its cable news competitors, and Lara Trump’s show was no exception, surpassing CNN’s “Have I Got News for You” by 366% in total viewers and 230% in the key 25-54 demographic.
The show surpassed MSNBC by an astounding 502% in total viewers and 1606% in the 25-54 demographic. Her husband, Eric Trump, proudly celebrated the impressive premiere, sharing the results on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday. However, the show didn’t go without its critics. Left-leaning commentators mocked the program, dismissing it as a Trump-centric spectacle designed to bolster his appeal among women. “All three of Lara’s guests fawned over the president, making sure to stress just how supportive he is of them as women and as, at least in Leavitt’s case, new moms attempting to juggle having both a family and a career,” said the Daily Beast writer Catherine Bouris in a Sunday review.
The New Yorker dubbed her show the “new Trump-family megaphone,” while UnHerd questioned whether it was essentially a “campaign in disguise.” In his Sunday review for UnHerd, Oliver Bateman noted, “The debut episode revealed a carefully crafted blend of gentle family propaganda and savvy political positioning.”