Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey made history on Tuesday by delivering the longest Senate floor speech on record with his protest against President Donald Trump’s agenda.
The Democratic senator took to the floor at 7 p.m. ET on Monday and continued through the night, yielding occasionally to his fellow party members. At 7:19 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Booker surpassed the late Sen. Strom Thurmond’s record of speaking for 24 hours and 18 minutes on the Senate floor in 1957. Booker ended his speech on Tuesday around 8 p.m. ET after roughly 25 hours.
“I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able,” he told his colleagues at the start of his speech on Monday. “I rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our nation is in crisis.”
“The threats to the American people and American democracy are grave and urgent and we all must do more to stand against them,” he continued. “Generations from now will look back at this moment and have a single question — where were you?”
I’m rip-roaring and ready, I’m wide awake. I’m going to stand here for as many hours as I can.
— Cory booker
In a statement, the senator said his goal was to “uplift the stories of Americans who are being harmed by the Trump Administration’s reckless actions, attempts to undermine our institutions, and disregard for the rule of law.”
“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,” Booker said on the floor. “These are not normal times in America. And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate.”
Booker, at times with his voice cracking, shared stories from his constituents about how Trump’s drastic cuts are already taking a toll on their everyday lives. The senator read aloud a letter from a voter diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease — which Booker’s late father also had — who worried about the impact the loss of Social Security benefits could have on their family.
“I tell you, I’m gonna fight to protect your Social Security. I’m gonna fight to protect the agency,” Booker pledged. “I’m gonna stand as long as I can and read stories like this because you are seen. You are heard. Your voices are more important than any of the 100 of us.”
The New Jersey Democrat also honored late civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, whom Booker referred to as “one of my greatest heroes of life.”
“I’ve been thinking about him a lot during these last 71 days. ‘Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, help redeem the soul of America,’” Booker continued. “And had to ask myself, if he’s my hero, how am I living up to his words?” Booker said he launched the protest “with the intention of getting in some good trouble.” Over the course of Booker’s marathon speech, the senator took only brief breaks from speaking, yielding the floor to questions from his Democratic colleagues. As NPR noted, “The longest filibuster on record was a 1957 speech by then-Democratic Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina — in opposition to the Civil Rights Act — that lasted for 24 hours and 18 minutes.” Technically, Booker’s speech was not a filibuster since the Senate wasn’t holding a debate over a specific bill or nominee. “The threats to the American people and American democracy are grave and urgent and we all must do more to stand against them,” he continued. “Generations from now will look back at this moment and have a single question — where were you?”
Allison Detzel is an editor/producer for MS NOW.
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