Before the live broadcast began, Booker blamed Trump and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk for their “complete disregard for the rule of law, the Constitution, and the needs of the American people.”
According to CNN, Booker began his speech at 7:00 p.m. local time on March 31 and continued until 12:00 a.m. on April 1. The Democrat is speaking out against Trump’s actions and said he would “continue speaking as long as I am physically able.”
This speech is not a filibuster (a speech that prevents the passage of legislation), because the senator is not blocking legislation or appointments. According to the publication, he can continue his speech indefinitely, as long as the podium is open, the session hall staff and the Capitol Police are in place.
“In just 71 days, the president of the United States has done so much damage to the security of Americans, to financial stability and to the fundamental principles of our democracy… These are not ordinary times for America. They should not be judged in the United States Senate,” Booker said.
As a senator from New Jersey, Booker opposed the US president’s policies in the fields of social security, education, immigration and health care, the New York Times writes.
The politician also touched on foreign policy in his speech. In particular, he criticized Donald Trump for weakening NATO, his favoritism towards Russian President Vladimir Putin and his inaccurate statements calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator.”
In addition, Booker mentioned Trump’s threats to Panama and Greenland, as well as the idea of renaming the Gulf of Mexico.
However, as The Guardian notes, Booker still has a long way to go to break the Senate record. In 1957, Republican Strom Thurmond spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes in an attempt to block the Civil Rights Act.
According to AP News, 55-year-old Cory Booker was born in Washington and grew up in New Jersey. He said that his family faced racial discrimination, including obstacles when his parents tried to buy a house.
Booker played football at Stanford, studied law at Yale University and worked as a lawyer helping low-income families. He later became mayor of Newark (New Jersey's largest city) and a U.S. senator.
In 2013, he won a special election to the Senate, and was subsequently re-elected to full terms in 2014 and 2020. In 2020, he ran for president, but his campaign was unsuccessful.
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