Senator Cory Booker’s Historic Speech

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker made history on April 1st this year, completing a filibuster-esque speech on the Senate floor for over 25 hours. In doing this, Booker set a new record for longest speech in the Senate, beating, by nearly an hour, the 58 year record held by former Segregationist, South Carolina Senator Storm Thurmond—a record he set for filibustering against the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Unlike traditional filibusters, Booker wasn’t delaying any bill that the Senate was voting on, but rather used his time on the floor to criticize the Trump administration and the agenda they have executed throughout the last few months.
Beginning on Monday at 7 pm local time, Booker began his speech with a vow to disrupt “the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able.” As per rules pertaining to occupying the Senate floor, the Senator did not eat, sleep, drink or sit during his 25 hours speech, aided only by fellow Democrats asking questions throughout to give Booker a break from speaking. He later informed various news sources of his preparations which included not eating or drinking in the days up to the speech.
Propelled by a demoralized Democratic party, the Senator not only used the time to voice his concerns regarding the current administration but urged Democrats to reflect and act saying, “We all must look in the mirror and say, ‘We will do better.’” In a season of dwindling hope for the Democratic party, as the Carolina Political Review put it, Booker’s speech provided the Democratic “leaders and voters with a spark of hope and provides guidance on ways to protest the Trump administration.”
After just six minutes on the floor, Booker stated, “I rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our country is in crisis.” This statement set the tone for the rest of his speech as he discussed the Trump administration’s effect on the economy, criticized Trump for his relationship with Elon Musk, and shared letters from constituents who expressed the harm they’ve felt since Trump’s second term. After sharing one of these letters, Booker said to the American people: “As long as I can, I’m going to stand and read stories like this. Because you are seen. You are heard. Your voices are more important than any of the 100 of us.” Remarks also included questions for the American people: “I ask America to please ask yourself this financial question. Am I better off than I was 71 days ago?” Remarks such as these are what made Booker’s speech so successful and elicited such a visceral reaction from the American people—a sentiment reflected in the question Senator Chuck Schumer asked just after Booker broke the record: “Do you know how proud this caucus is of you? Do you know how proud America is of you?”
Social media also aided in Booker’s efforts to break into the news cycle as the Senator live streamed the entire speech on his TikTok account, receiving over 350 million likes. Many took to the platform to express how much the speech meant to them and the hope it provided.