The NBC News Commander-in-Chief Forum drew 14.7 million viewers, roughly 3.4 million of whom watched on the MSNBC simulcast while the remainder tuned in to NBC broadcast.
The event averaged more viewers than any broadcast network primary debate of this election cycle but not everyone liked that they saw, as moderator Matt Lauer has been panned for his performance.
Hillary Clinton supporters blasted him for not challenging Donald Trump when the Republican wrongly claimed he opposed the Iraq invasion all along. Trump’s backers said Lauer gave Clinton a pass while treating the Republican candidate with disrespect.
“Several high ranking sources at the network [NBC] said they hear the criticism and agree with at least some of it,” CNN reported.
“The blame does not fall on Lauer alone. NBC News and MSNBC chairman Andy Lack, a longtime friend of Lauer’s, was intimately involved in the forum planning and execution,” CNN’s Brian Stelter wrote.
The event was the first time Trump and Clinton appeared on the same stage since becoming the official nominees of their respective parties, although it wasn’t at the same time. A coin flip determined the order of appearance, Trump won and decided to go second.
The NBC News Commander-in-Chief Forum, co-hosted by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, was held at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City.