Booker Takes a Stand Against Trump

By: Gabriel León

Photo of New Jersey Senator Cory Booker (Image via Biography)

Have you ever pulled an all-nighter? Staying awake for 24 hours straight is difficult enough… but New Jersey Senator Cory Booker delivered a 25-hour and five-minute speech, starting on March 31 at 7:00 p.m. and finishing on April 1, 2025, at 8:05 p.m.

This is the longest speech ever delivered on the Senate floor, surpassing former South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond, who gave a 24-hour and eight-minute filibuster in 1957 against the Civil Rights Act of that same year. 

This speech was depicted by the media as a filibuster, but according to Senator Booker’s website, he thought of it as a speech 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.” 

Senator Booker and his legislative staff prepared 1,164 pages of material in preparation for this miraculous speech and shared over 200 stories of Americans that President Trump’s administration negatively impacted.

His speech focused on issues regarding the Trump administration, health care, immigration, and national security. Other Democratic senators periodically chimed in with questions and anecdotes of encouragement. 

Senator Booker streamed his speech on TikTok Live, garnering over 350 million likes and up to 300,000 spectators on his social media platforms alone. 

He opened his speech by declaring that the United States was in a crisis. 

“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,” he said.

According to Senator Booker, this was not only a call for unity against the tyranny of President Trump’s administration but also a scary reminder of how quickly President Trump began to do damage to the populace, all of which was thoroughly covered in the 200 stories that Senator Booker shared.

He added, “This is a moral moment,” stating, “It’s not left or right, it’s right or wrong,” a powerful statement that calls for bipartisan action against President Trump and his administration. 

Right before ceding the floor, Senator Booker ended with the words of John Lewis, calling Americans to “get in good trouble,” a rally call that many young Democrats have been calling for since the beginning of the Trump administration.