Seen, Read, Heard
Pandemic. Politics. Protests. Here’s the news that broke through in 2020.
Over the course of the year, Morning Consult asked roughly 100,000 registered voters how much they’d seen, read or heard about more than 370 current events. Not all news resonated the same. Here’s the share of voters who said they heard “a lot” about 132 of the events we thought were most noteworthy, and how the news penetrated along party lines.
Filter your selection by one or more of the items below to view.
%
Democrats
%
All Voters
%
Republicans
January
Back to Top
51%
49%
52%
A U.S. airstrike kills Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani
01.03.20
Soleimani strike
49%
51%
55%
Tehran launches missile strikes on U.S. bases in Iraq
01.08.20
Iran strikes back
33%
30%
30%
British Prince Harry and Meghan Markle say they will step down as senior royals
01.08.20
Sussexit
65%
60%
59%
Major wildfires spread across Australia
01.13.20
Australian wildfires
25%
24%
25%
An MLB report concludes the Houston Astros engaged in an illegal sign-stealing scheme in the 2017-2018 seasons
01.13.20
Sign-stealing scandal
59%
55%
55%
The Senate begins its impeachment trial of President Trump
01.16.20
Impeachment trial
38%
36%
36%
The CDC reports the first U.S. coronavirus cases
01.21.20
COVID-19 arrives in U.S.
79%
75%
73%
Former NBA star Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others die in a helicopter crash
01.26.20
Kobe dies
37%
32%
28%
Ex-national security adviser John Bolton says Trump asked to withhold security assistance to Ukraine until its officials opened probes related to Joe Biden
01.26.20
Bolton’s book bombshell
58%
53%
50%
Coronavirus spreads from China to U.S. and other countries
01.28.20
COVID-19’s global spread
16%
19%
25%
Trump announces his peace plan for Israel and Palestine
01.28.20
'Peace to Prosperity'
16%
20%
30%
Trump signs the new North American trade deal, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement
01.29.20
NAFTA overhaul
February
Back to Top
50%
49%
52%
The Kansas City Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers
02.02.20
Super Bowl LIV
40%
39%
42%
Results from Iowa's Democratic caucuses are delayed
02.03.20
Iowa caucus debacle
27%
39%
57%
Trump delivers the last State of the Union address of his term
02.04.20
Trump's SOTU address
57%
58%
65%
The Senate votes to acquit Trump in its impeachment trial
02.05.20
Trump acquitted
21%
22%
24%
A partial ban on flavored cartridges for e-cigarettes goes into effect
02.06.20
Flavored vape ban
26%
20%
14%
Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" wins Best Picture at the Oscars
02.09.20
'기생충'
40%
33%
29%
Sen. Bernie Sanders wins the New Hampshire Democratic primary
02.11.20
N.H. feels the Bern
31%
26%
24%
Trump commutes the prison sentence of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich
02.18.20
Clemency for Blagojevich
30%
24%
20%
A federal judge sentences Roger Stone to 40 months in prison for obstruction, witness tampering and lying to Congress
02.20.20
Stone sentenced
41%
35%
32%
A jury convicts film producer Harvey Weinstein on charges of rape and a felony sex crime
02.24.20
Weinstein convicted
37%
35%
37%
Trump appoints Vice President Mike Pence to lead the U.S. COVID-19 response
02.26.20
Task force assembled
20%
18%
17%
A shooting at the Molson Coors factory in Milwaukee leaves 6 dead, including the gunman
02.26.20
Milwaukee brewery shooting
March
Back to Top
46%
39%
37%
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg drops out of the Democratic presidential race and endorses Biden
03.04.20
Bloomberg drops out
29%
30%
34%
Congress passes $8.3 billion in emergency spending for coronavirus response
03.05.20
Emergency COVID-19 aid
46%
39%
36%
Sen. Elizabeth Warren drops out of the Democratic presidential race
03.05.20
Warren drops out
44%
40%
39%
The Dow Jones Industrial Average’s longest bull market ends
03.11.20
Market woes
64%
57%
57%
The World Health Organization characterizes the coronavirus as a pandemic
03.11.20
Pandemic declared
52%
54%
63%
Trump declares the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency
03.13.20
National emergency
39%
35%
36%
Congress passes the "Families First Coronavirus Response Act" to increase testing and aid small business and the unemployed
03.18.20
'Families First' COVID-19 aid
26%
24%
25%
Sens. Richard Burr and Kelly Loeffler said to have sold stocks following a private COVID-19 briefing
03.19.20
Senators under fire for stock trades
48%
43%
42%
Gov. Andrew Cuomo orders N.Y. residents to stay at home except for necessary activities
03.20.20
Empire State lockdown
57%
46%
39%
Trump calls to end social distancing by Easter Sunday
03.24.20
'Raring to go'
70%
68%
72%
Congress passes a $2.2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill
03.25.20
CARES Act COVID-19 aid
27%
28%
33%
Tara Reade accuses Biden of sexually assaulting her during the early 1990s when he was a senator
03.25.20
Tara Reade allegation
66%
59%
57%
The U.S. surpasses China and Italy for the most confirmed COVID-19 cases
03.26.20
U.S. leads world in COVID-19 cases
56%
47%
44%
The Trump administration estimates 100,000-240,000 Americans will die from COVID-19
03.31.20
White House's death projection
April
Back to Top
60%
53%
49%
More than 6.6 million Americans apply for unemployment benefits
04.02.20
Pandemic layoffs
44%
40%
37%
Trump promotes hydroxychloroquine as a possible COVID-19 treatment
04.05.20
'I'm not a doctor'
43%
39%
38%
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is placed in intensive care for COVID-19
04.06.20
U.K. leader in ICU
52%
43%
38%
Sanders drops out of the Democratic presidential race
04.08.20
Sanders drops out
36%
26%
18%
Sanders endorses Biden for president
04.13.20
Sanders backs Biden
39%
40%
42%
Trump halts funding to the WHO
04.14.20
Trump cuts off WHO
32%
36%
43%
Trump announces guidelines for governors who are looking to reopen their states
04.16.20
'Opening Up America Again'
38%
40%
46%
The price of oil drops to the lowest point in history
04.20.20
Oil price sinks
38%
37%
40%
Congress passes $484 billion in funding for Paycheck Protection Program, small-business subsidies and hospitals
04.21.20
Congress replenishes PPP
57%
42%
27%
Trump suggests COVID-19 patients treat the disease by injecting disinfectant inside the body
04.23.20
Trump's disinfectant moment
19%
14%
13%
Biden predicts Trump will try to postpone the 2020 presidential election
04.23.20
Biden's prediction
May
Back to Top
17%
11%
7%
Former Health and Human Services vaccine official Rick Bright files a whistleblower complaint accusing the agency of abuse of power
05.05.20
HHS whistleblower
41%
36%
33%
Georgia authorities charge two men with murdering Ahmaud Arbery
05.07.20
2 charged in Ahmaud Arbery case
25%
25%
28%
Justice Department drops charges against former national security adviser Michael Flynn
05.07.20
DOJ reversal in Flynn case
35%
32%
29%
The U.S. unemployment rate hits its highest point since the Great Depression
05.08.20
Unemployment rate skyrockets
51%
44%
40%
Trump said he takes hydroxychloroquine
05.18.20
Trump's on hydroxychloroquine
31%
22%
15%
Trump removes or replaces five inspectors general over six weeks
05.18.20
Inspectors general firing spree
25%
21%
22%
Trump briefly wears a mask during a private tour of a Ford factory in Michigan
05.21.20
Privately masked
77%
73%
70%
George Floyd, a Black Minneapolis man, dies after a police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes
05.25.20
George Floyd killing
40%
32%
25%
For the first time, Twitter adds a fact-check label to Trump’s tweets about mail-in voting
05.26.20
Twitter fact checks Trump
60%
52%
46%
The coronavirus death toll in the U.S. surpasses 100,000
05.27.20
U.S. COVID-19 death toll tops 100,000
67%
67%
71%
Protesters set a police station on fire in Minneapolis in response to Floyd’s death
05.28.20
Minneapolis police station burns
77%
67%
65%
Demonstrations in dozens of U.S. cities in response to Floyd's death
05.30.20
Black Lives Matter protests
June
Back to Top
59%
44%
31%
Law enforcement clears protesters outside of the White House with tear gas so Trump can take photos at a nearby church
06.01.20
Tear gas for Trump’s photo op
15%
12%
12%
In New York Times op-ed, Sen. Tom Cotton calls for sending U.S. troops into cities to deter rioters
06.03.20
'Send In the Troops'
26%
24%
28%
The May jobs report shows an increase of 2.5 million jobs, the biggest one-month gain in U.S. history
06.05.20
V-shaped recovery?
50%
47%
49%
Movement to defund police departments builds across the country
06.07.20
'Defund the police'
27%
23%
25%
Trump comes out against efforts to rename military bases bearing the name of Confederate leaders
06.10.20
'Great American Heritage'
38%
31%
30%
NASCAR bans the display of the Confederate flag at its events
06.10.20
NASCAR bans Confederate flag
37%
29%
22%
The Supreme Court bans workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
06.15.20
Landmark LGBT ruling
42%
31%
24%
Supreme Court blocks Trump's attempt to end the "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals" program
06.18.20
DACA upheld
45%
41%
42%
Companies review Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben's and other brands for depictions of Black people
06.18.20
Racial stereotypes brand review
51%
40%
37%
After monthslong hiatus, Trump returns to the campaign trail with a rally in Tulsa, Okla.
06.20.20
Tulsa rally
65%
52%
43%
U.S. has nearly 40,000 U.S. COVID-19 cases in a day, a new record
06.25.20
Another case record
July
Back to Top
33%
24%
17%
Trump administration tells international students that they cannot attend U.S. colleges via online-only courses
07.06.20
Trump targets international students
39%
31%
27%
The Trump administration informs the United Nations it will withdraw from the WHO
07.07.20
U.S. to leave WHO
44%
30%
20%
Trump threatens to cut federal funding for schools that don't open for in-person instruction in the fall
07.08.20
Trump pressures schools
26%
20%
18%
Goya Foods faces an online boycott effort after its CEO praised Trump at the White House
07.09.20
#Goyacott
39%
27%
19%
Mary Trump, the president's niece, releases a tell-all book about her family
07.14.20
'Too Much and Never Enough'
19%
20%
25%
Trump orders the closure of a Chinese consulate in Houston
07.21.20
Chinese consulate closure
26%
23%
24%
Herman Cain dies from COVID-19 roughly one month after attending Tulsa rally
07.30.20
Cain dies
45%
35%
26%
Trump questions whether the 2020 election should be delayed due to coronavirus
07.30.20
Trump floats election delay
31%
26%
23%
The U.S. records its biggest-ever quarterly drop in economic activity in the second quarter of the year
07.30.20
Record drop in GDP
45%
41%
37%
Enhanced unemployment benefits meant to help those who lost their jobs due to the coronavirus expire
07.31.20
COVID-19 unemployment benefits expire
August
Back to Top
22%
16%
14%
Republican political operatives help Kanye West get his name on the ballot in several states
08.04.20
Kanye for president
23%
21%
21%
New York Attorney General Letitia James files a lawsuit to dissolve the National Rifle Association due to alleged fraud
08.06.20
NRA scandal
31%
31%
33%
Trump signs order prohibiting U.S. residents and companies from doing business with TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance
08.06.20
Trump targets TikTok
62%
51%
45%
Biden selects Sen. Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate
08.11.20
VP candidate Harris
51%
37%
24%
Trump says he opposes additional funding for the U.S. Postal Service due to mail-in voting
08.13.20
USPS funding standoff
10%
13%
20%
Israel and the United Arab Emirates announce they are establishing full diplomatic relations
08.13.20
Israel-U.A.E. thaw
62%
48%
33%
Report says USPS informed 46 states and D.C. it cannot guarantee all mailed ballots will be delivered in time to be counted
08.14.20
USPS warning shot
52%
39%
26%
Democrats hold their national party convention
08.17.20
Democratic convention
9%
12%
16%
The S&P 500 reaches a record high
08.18.20
Market boom
24%
17%
13%
Trump praises supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory as "people that love our country"
08.19.20
Trump praises QAnon
31%
24%
18%
Steve Bannon is arrested on charges that he defrauded donors of a crowdfunding campaign for construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall
08.20.20
Bannon arrested
60%
51%
40%
Jacob Blake, a 29-year old Black man, is shot by a police officer in Kenosha, Wis.
08.23.20
Jacob Blake shooting
25%
28%
34%
Republicans hold their national party convention
08.24.20
GOP convention
48%
39%
30%
Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year old from Illinois, allegedly shoots and kills 2 people in Kenosha, Wis.
08.26.20
Rittenhouse charged
47%
45%
46%
Hurricane Laura hits Louisiana
08.27.20
Hurricane Laura
September
Back to Top
51%
41%
30%
A report from The Atlantic magazine says Trump repeatedly referred to members of the military as "suckers" and "losers"
09.03.20
'Suckers' and 'losers'
57%
45%
30%
Journalist Bob Woodward's recording reveals Trump saying he downplayed the COVID-19 threat
09.09.20
Woodward recording
24%
26%
32%
Senate Democrats block Republicans' $500 billion coronavirus relief bill
09.10.20
COVID-19 relief blocked
24%
16%
10%
Nurse alleges high rate of hysterectomies performed on female immigrants held by U.S. government
09.14.20
Forced hysterectomies?
14%
20%
29%
Israel signs pacts with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to normalize relations
09.16.20
Middle East progress
61%
58%
57%
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies of pancreatic cancer
09.18.20
RBG dies
47%
38%
32%
A grand jury indicts one of the three officers involved in Breonna Taylor's death on charges of wanton endangerment
09.23.20
Breonna Taylor indictment
49%
32%
16%
Trump refuses to commit to leaving office peacefully if he loses
09.23.20
Trump won't commit to leaving
40%
38%
39%
Trump nominates Judge Amy Coney Barrett for Ginsburg's seat on the Supreme Court
09.26.20
ACB nomination
53%
44%
34%
Global COVID-19 death count surpasses 1 million
09.28.20
1 million deaths
49%
34%
18%
In a debate, Trump tells the far-right extremist group Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by"
09.29.20
'Stand back and stand by'
October
Back to Top
66%
65%
64%
Trump and first lady Melania Trump test positive for coronavirus
10.02.20
Trump gets COVID-19
66%
52%
64%
Trump is taken to Walter Reed Medical Center after testing positive for COVID-19
10.02.20
Trip to Walter Reed
46%
38%
36%
Trump leaves the hospital after COVID-19 treatment
10.05.20
Released from hospital
31%
22%
16%
Biden announces he will appear alone at a town hall event after Trump refused to participate in a virtual debate
10.08.20
Trump balks at virtual debate
36%
28%
21%
Six men are arrested on charges of planning to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
10.08.20
Whitmer kidnapping plot foiled
37%
34%
40%
Senators hold confirmation hearings for Barrett
10.12.20
ACB hearings
22%
15%
11%
2020 census count stops ahead of schedule
10.15.20
Census ended early
29%
19%
13%
A report says Trump had a Chinese bank account and paid nearly $200,000 in taxes there from 2013-2015
10.20.20
Chinese bank account
11%
18%
29%
Former associate accuses Hunter Biden of consulting his father in 2017 about a planned Chinese business venture
10.21.20
Tony Bobulinski
39%
31%
25%
Trump said he hopes the Supreme Court overturns Obamacare
10.22.20
'I hope they end it'
49%
43%
44%
Trump and Biden participate in the final presidential debate
10.22.20
Final presidential debate
50%
50%
52%
The Senate confirms Barrett to serve on the Supreme Court
10.26.20
ACB confirmed
9%
8%
7%
Acting NOAA chief scientist Craig McLean reportedly removed by Trump appointee
10.27.20
NOAA scientist demoted
19%
15%
12%
Former Homeland Security chief of staff Miles Taylor says he authored anonymous 2018 New York Times op-ed
10.28.20
Anonymous revealed
61%
51%
39%
Over 99,000 daily coronavirus cases reported in the U.S., setting a new single-day record
10.30.20
Another case record
November
Back to Top
67%
55%
43%
Biden is declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election
11.07.20
Biden wins
72%
62%
54%
Trump refuses to concede the election
11.07.20
Trump won't concede
44%
40%
39%
Pfizer announces results from its COVID-19 vaccine trial showing it is more than 90% effective
11.09.20
Pfizer vaccine
38%
33%
30%
Biotech company Moderna says clinical trials show its coronavirus vaccine is nearly 95% effective
11.16.20
Moderna vaccine
38%
28%
17%
Trump fires Chris Krebs, the top cybersecurity official at the Department of Homeland Security
11.17.20
Cybersecurity official fired
35%
25%
17%
The General Services Administration informs Biden that the Trump administration will begin the presidential transition process
11.23.20
Transition begins
17%
17%
20%
The Dow breaks through 30,000 points for the first time
11.24.20
Dow tops 30,000
30%
25%
24%
Trump issues a pardon for Flynn
11.25.20
Flynn pardon