New Jersey Senator Cory Booker wrapped up a marathon speech criticizing the Trump administration, bringing it to a close 25 hours and five minutes after he first took the floor Monday evening.
“I believe that there is an urgent crisis in our country that we are not talking about. It’s not a left-right crisis, it’s a right-wrong crisis,” he declared, shortly after announcing his intention to end his lengthy remarks.
In his closing moments, Booker returned to the testimonies he had shared throughout the previous day—accounts from Americans who have depended on programs like veterans’ services and Medicaid, which now face reductions under President Trump’s proposed budget cuts.
“I don’t know how to solve this, I don’t know how to stop us from going down this road,” Booker concluded. “But I know who does have the power. The people of the United States of America. The power of the people is greater than the people in power.”
Booker launched his speech at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, aiming to halt the Senate’s usual proceedings in protest of what he described as the “grave and urgent” threat posed by the Trump presidency.
As the hours ticked by and he neared the 24-hour mark, signs of fatigue became more visible. Still, Booker remained standing, using expressive gestures as he continued to speak with intensity.
During the final stretch, Booker invoked historical figures such as the Founding Fathers, civil rights icons, and legislators who stood in opposition to McCarthyism. These references supported his call for lawmakers to take a stronger stand against Trump’s actions.
At one point, Booker allowed Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut to ask a question, briefly giving him the floor while retaining control of the debate. Murphy used the moment to recount the longest speech in Senate history—Republican Senator Strom Thurmond’s 1957 filibuster against the Civil Rights Act.
“What you have done here today Senator Booker couldn’t be more different than what occurred on this floor in 1957,” Murphy told him. “Strom Thurmond was standing in the way of inevitable progress.” He continued, “Today, you are standing in the way not of progress but of retreat.”
As he drew close to breaking Thurmond’s record, Booker reflected on the example set by his late colleague and civil rights hero, John Lewis.
“This is one of those moments when John Lewis would not sit still,” Booker said. “I don’t know what John Lewis would say right now,” but he “would say something, he would do something.”
“This is our moral moment. This is when the most precious ideas of our country are being tested,” Booker continued. “Are we going to do something different like John Lewis would call us to do? He would call us to get into good trouble, necessary trouble.”
When Booker officially surpassed Thurmond’s 24-hour and 18-minute speech, he acknowledged the historical weight of the moment by choosing forgiveness.
He offered grace to Thurmond, who once tried to prevent legislation that helped pave the way for Booker’s own Senate career.
Shortly afterward, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stepped in to ask a question and formally informed Booker that he had just broken the Senate record.
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