Donald Trump’s SNL ratings were an unmitigated success by any measure, unless you ask The Associated Press.
The Associated Press downplays the Trump bump while admitting he brought NBC’s numbers to a three-year high:
“Very good, but not spectacular. Preliminary Nielsen ratings measuring households in 56 U.S. markets gave Saturday’s “SNL” its highest rating only since January 2012. Basketball great Charles Barkley was host that night. Full results, including viewership figures, will be released Thursday, NBC said.”
Entertainment Weekly compares those ratings to Hillary Clinton’s appearance in October:
“According to NBC, SNL had a whopping 6.6 household rating on Saturday night, easily beating the season’s previous high: the 41st season premiere last month, hosted by Miley Cyrus and with a guest appearance by none other than … Hillary Clinton.”
These ratings came in spite of anti-Trump protests raging outside the studio for much of the day, as The Daily Caller reports:
The protest, according to Garcia, was composed of several organizations including Black Lives Matter, ANSWER, women’s groups, labor organizations, and students. Prior to the airing of the show, pressure groups attempted to urge SNL to disinvite Trump. When SNL refused to do so, a $5,000 reward was put out to anyone who heckled Trump during the show. However, the program, which began at 11:30 pm, went off without interruption. Additionally, protesters had a permit only until 9 pm.
As long as you don’t ask The Associated Press, Trump seems to have won this round. His performance went off without a hitch, and the show’s ratings were, as Donald himself predicted, huge.
Source: Breitbart, The Daily Caller
