Senator Cory Booker is taking a stand against President Trump and the “creepy billionaires.”
The New Jersey Democrat held the Senate floor with a marathon speech that lasted all Monday night and into Tuesday night, setting a record for the longest continuous Senate floor speech in the chamber’s history.
His goal?
To address the backlash that Democrats have been facing for not doing enough against President Trump’s unconstitutional executive orders and policies, many of which have targeted women and undocumented immigrants.
“I have been hearing from people all over my state and indeed all over the nation calling upon folks in Congress to do more, to do things that recognize the urgency, the crisis of the moment, Booker said in a video shared on X (formerly Twitter) before he started his speech.
“And so, we all have a responsibility, I believe to do something different, to cause—like [the late Rep.] John Lewis said—’good trouble,’ and that includes me.”
I’ve taken the Senate floor and will speak for as long as I’m physically able to lift the voices of Americans who are being harmed and not being heard in this moment of crisis. Watch here: https://t.co/oN0WUxF0si
— Sen. Cory Booker (@SenBooker) March 31, 2025
Once on the floor, the 56-year-old Senator alerted his peers that he intended to speak “for as long as I am physically able.”
He then embarked on a +24-hour speech against Trump’s policies, demanding that his fellow Democrats mobilize and take back the “America we know.”
“In just 71 days, the president of the United States has inflicted so much harm on Americans’ safety, financial stability, the core foundations of our democracy and even our aspirations as a people for, from our highest offices, a sense of common decency,” Booker said in his opening remarks.
“These are not normal times in America, and they should not be treated as such. I can’t allow this body to continue without doing something. The threats to America’s democracy are grave and urgent.”
Americans aren’t a line item in a budget to cut. Your story matters, your voice matters, this fight matters. pic.twitter.com/cDpXIZMtRe
— Sen. Cory Booker (@SenBooker) April 1, 2025
Throughout the night, and with over 50,000 people watching live on YouTube, Booker took direct aim at Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and policies he said show a “complete disregard for the rule of law, the Constitution, and the needs of the American people.”
He covered everything from price gouging, healthcare, free speech, the Department of Education, DOGE, and foreign policy, reading letters from everyday Americans who say they’re tired of Trump’s unconstitutional policies.
“The most powerful man in the world and the richest man in the world have taken a battle axe to the Veterans’ Association, a battle axe to the Department of Education, a battle axe to the only agency solely focused on protecting consumers against big banks and other factors that might abuse them,” Booker said.
“What will we do in this body? What will we do in the House of Representatives? Right now, the answer is nothing.”
Our nation’s children are our most precious resource. When our kids thrive, America thrives. Dismantling the Department of Education will overwhelm local school systems, further burn out our teachers, and hurt children from all backgrounds. pic.twitter.com/EryNksbxEJ
— Sen. Cory Booker (@SenBooker) April 1, 2025
While Trump and Musk are yet to respond to Booker’s speech, the senator’s history-making moment comes at a tumultuous time for Democrats.
Just last month, nine Democrats—including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, and Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire—sided with Republicans to pass a Trump-backed spending bill, avoiding a government shutdown but frustrating voters who wanted their lawmakers to take a harder stance against the administration.
The Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress are putting profits over people. They are trying to gut Medicaid and Medicare, programs on which nearly a third of our country rely –– all to pay for tax cuts to billionaires and corporations. pic.twitter.com/zIwBWXSE8m
— Sen. Cory Booker (@SenBooker) April 1, 2025
Also, contrary to popular belief, Booker’s speech did not qualify as a filibuster, as it was not held during a debate on specific legislation to block proceedings, according to CBS News.
Instead, the New Jersey senator was using the power of the Senate floor to make sure the urgency of this political moment couldn’t be ignored. Under Senate rules, if a senator has the floor, they can keep talking for as long as they can physically stand and speak.
By Tuesday morning, Booker had delivered a 25-hour, 5-minute speech, breaking the record for the longest speech in Senate history. The record was previously held by Senator Strom Thurmond, who delivered a 24-hour, 18-minute filibuster in 1957, a platform he used to oppose the Civil Rights Act.
