Fox News, the conservative television network that has spent years championing Donald Trump and his political movement, is experiencing a dramatic decline in viewership just days before the 2026 midterm elections. New Nielsen ratings reveal that the network has lost more than a quarter of its audience compared with last year, raising questions about the enthusiasm of conservative viewers and the changing relationship between Trump and his favorite television network.
According to ratings figures reported by The Daily Beast and other media outlets, Fox News averaged approximately 1.1 million total-day viewers during October 2026, a staggering 27 percent decline from October 2025. The network's performance among adults ages 25 to 54, a demographic particularly important to advertisers, was even more troubling.
Fox averaged just 98,000 viewers in that age group, representing a 32 percent decline and its weakest monthly performance in the demographic in approximately 25 years.
The decline was particularly noticeable during prime time, traditionally the network's strongest programming period. Fox averaged approximately 2 million viewers during its weekday evening broadcasts, down 28 percent from the previous year. Among adults ages 25 to 54, prime-time viewership plunged 36 percent.
Even Fox & Friends, the morning program frequently praised and watched by Trump, has struggled. October marked its second consecutive month averaging fewer than one million viewers, with its smallest overall audience since July 2015 and its weakest performance in the key advertising demographic since June 2001.
Rival Networks Gain Ground
While Fox News has been losing viewers, competing cable news networks have experienced gains.
MS NOW, formerly MSNBC, increased its total-day audience by 16 percent compared with October 2025, averaging approximately 588,000 viewers. CNN also recorded an increase, gaining 3 percent to average approximately 402,000 viewers.
These gains are particularly notable because they occurred during the same period in which Fox experienced substantial losses.
Despite its declining audience, Fox News remains the most-watched cable news network in America. It continues to attract more viewers than CNN and MS NOW combined during both total-day and prime-time programming.
Nevertheless, the sharp year-over-year decline represents a significant reversal for a network that has long dominated conservative television news.
Trump Turns Against His Favorite Network
The ratings collapse comes amid growing public tension between Trump and Fox News, a network that has provided him with extensive favorable coverage throughout his political career.
Trump has recently criticized Fox for interviewing Democratic candidates and reducing live coverage of his campaign rallies.
In a Truth Social post, Trump complained that Fox was devoting too much airtime to Republican opponents, accusing the network of attempting to appear politically correct.
He has also encouraged supporters to abandon Fox in favor of Right Side Broadcasting Network, a conservative streaming operation known for broadcasting Trump's rallies and appearances with little interruption.
The criticism illustrates Trump's increasingly explicit expectation that conservative media organizations should promote Republican candidates rather than provide balanced political coverage.
According to reporting cited by The Daily Beast, one Fox News personality suggested that executives had become concerned about declining viewer interest in Trump's appearances. The source summarized the network's internal assessment with a striking observation: Trump's appearances were no longer reliably attracting audiences.
Fox nevertheless broadcast Trump's Tuesday rally in Texas live, demonstrating that the network remains deeply invested in its relationship with the president.
A Warning Sign for Republicans?
The timing of Fox's audience decline is particularly significant.
With the November 3 midterm elections approaching, Republicans are fighting to maintain control of Congress while Trump faces widespread dissatisfaction over his administration's policies and performance.
Fox News has historically served as a powerful platform for conservative messaging, helping shape Republican political narratives and energize the party's voting base.
A substantial decline in its audience could therefore be concerning for Republican strategists hoping to mobilize supporters ahead of Election Day.
However, television ratings alone cannot establish whether conservative voters are becoming less enthusiastic about Trump or the Republican Party. Changing viewing habits, competition from streaming platforms, and differences in major news events between 2025 and 2026 may also contribute to the decline.
Fox has pointed to its continued leadership in cable television and substantial digital audience, including billions of YouTube video views, as evidence that its overall reach remains strong.
Still, the contrast is difficult to ignore: Fox's traditional television audience is shrinking significantly while its principal cable news competitors are growing.
The Limits of the Conservative Media Machine
For years, Fox News has played a central role in the conservative political ecosystem, frequently amplifying Trump's statements, defending his policies, and challenging criticism of his administration.
Yet the latest ratings suggest that even a deeply loyal audience cannot be taken for granted.
The network faces a difficult balancing act. Giving Trump extensive coverage risks alienating viewers who may be growing tired of his constant presence, while reducing that coverage risks provoking attacks from the president and his most devoted supporters.
Trump, meanwhile, has demonstrated little patience for media organizations that fail to provide the attention or favorable treatment he expects.
The result is an increasingly uncomfortable relationship between a president accustomed to dominating television coverage and a network confronting evidence that its audience may be changing.
Fox News remains the undisputed leader in cable news viewership. But losing 27 percent of its total-day audience and nearly one-third of its younger advertising demographic in a single year is a substantial setback.
Whether the decline reflects temporary audience fatigue, broader changes in television consumption, or growing dissatisfaction within the conservative movement remains uncertain.
What is clear is that the network most closely associated with Donald Trump's political rise is facing one of its most significant ratings challenges in years, just as Republicans prepare for a consequential national election.