CNN Ratings Show Big Change Since Jake Tapper’s Explosive Biden Book
Jake Tapper‘s new book, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, might be on The New York Times bestseller list, but its success has seemingly not done CNN and favors.
The book, which Tapper co-authored with Axios reporter Alex Thompson, was released on May 20 and debuted at the top spot on the NYT bestseller chart, selling around 54,000 copies in its first week. The book details claims of a cover-up regarding Joe Biden‘s health during his presidency and the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election.
However, despite the book’s success and Tapper’s wide-ranging promotional tour, ratings for CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper were down significantly year-over-year in May. According to Nielsen figures, the show averaged 525,000 total viewers from April 28 through May 25, a drop of 25% from the same period last year.
Other CNN anchors, including Anderson Cooper, Erin Burnett, and Kaitlan Collins, who have helped heavily promote Tapper’s book, also experienced year-over-year drops. According to AdWeek, CNN was down 18% in total viewers and 21% in the key 25-54 demo during primetime compared to the same period in 2024.
Despite emerging from the post-election ratings slump since Donald Trump took office in January, CNN fell back in May with its second-lowest weekday primetime and total-day viewership ever (December 2024 was worse). In total day, the network dropped 14% in total viewers and 13% in the demo year-over-year.
CNN isn’t the only cable news network to see declines, though. MSNBC also dropped compared to May 2024; the network was down 24% in total viewers and 34% in the demo during primetime. In addition, MSNBC was down 33% in viewers and 41% in demo during total day.
In comparison, Fox News posted gains, with a rise of 23% in total viewers and 32% in the key demo year-over-year in primetime. In total day, the network was up 21% in total viewers and 22% in the key demo. NewsNation was also up 15% in weekday primetime viewers compared with May last year, according to Nielsen.
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O
That's a shame. That's also what you get for talking about Biden's old age and ignoring Trump's behavior. That's why I watch MeidasTouch, LIncoln Project, Lincoln Square and Brian Tyler Cohen on YouTube.
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You are lost
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O
didn’t they ignore bidens declining mental abilities for years?
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P
What? The leader of the free world from 2020-2024 was incapacitated and didn't make any of the policies to come out of his administration. You aren't slightly worried that the person people supposedly voted for in 2020 wasn't the one making decisions? Yes, we are more worried about what was being covered up than what Trump is doing and announcing on TV (which is actually trying to correct the mistakes of the previous administration).
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G
No better than what you ditched, laughable if you consider any of them real news!
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P
When something isn't broken, you don't fix it. I stopped watching CNN when they decided to become Fox News lite. This may very well be their primary issue. Fox viewers were not their audience but they somehow thought they could capture a part of them at the expense of viewers who just wanted to hear the News without opinion presented as news. They had a winning line up that needed slight tweaking but went scorched earth instead. I don't know if they have made an attempt to fix it because I haven't watched since.
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P
That is a joke. CNN is not Fox News light. It is a lying partisan joke of a network.
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G
How is that different than Fox News? Half of trump's cabinet worked there.
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O
So President Joe Biden is in decline but tRump isn't ? I used to love Jake and CNN but not anymore. I am done with them
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C
As Trump sets America and the world on fire🔥 this book is what Tapper chooses to say and report on as news? You have stopped being a reporter just as CNN quit being a news station
25 2
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M
information should’ve come out real time. But there’s no money in that. Start reporting real news in real time and maybe ratings wouldn’t be down. Shameful
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C
Lost interest in Tapper after that pathetic performance with the Biden and Trump debate….Now this book making money off the misfortune of Biden? Where’s his journalism on what is going on with Trump mentally. Tapper is An opportunist, time to get rid of him!
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P
CNN is a joke of a network. Partisan liars who repeat lies back and forth to each other. Don’t report anything they don’t agree with
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O
The leader of the free world CURRENTLY is incapacitated.
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O
Yup. We hate him. Biden isn’t the president, so leave him alone. Meanwhile Diaper Don is raving and ranting in a clear case of senile dementia and not even appointing competent surrogates.
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G
I also thought Tapper should not have used Biden for the opportunity to make money. Trump is actually in worse decline than Biden was in hist first term.
Biden did some wonderful things for us-Trump is doing wonderful things for himself thru foreign countries.
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A
"not done CNN and favors"
Once again: I'm available for proofreading services. 🙃
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G
CNN is one of my favourite shows to watch. I NEVER watch Fox and actually had it removed from my cable listings. I prefer real news not fake news that Fox reports as for Jake Trapper, I respect him as a brilliant reporter but i was very disappointed by his book
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well, then you are as partisan and oblivious to the real world as MSNBC and their declining ratings. People are fed up with the left-leaning news and constant Trump bashing. You should watch Fox and would know that they are reporting the news, it just isn't what you are being force-fed from the left.
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G
Laugh out loud. You are the problem in this country. Jake Trapper (yes I know his name) wud not know REAL news if it s to apped him in the face. Go right on with your childest belief that CNN gives you news!!!
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