On March 31 at 7 p.m., Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) took to the Senate floor to protest the actions of President Trump and his administration. Booker spoke continuously for the next 25 hours and four minutes, pausing only briefly for a prayer at noon the following day, according to NPR.
With this marathon speech, Booker set a new record for the longest address in Senate history, surpassing Strom Thurmond’s nearly 70-year-old record of 24 hours and 18 minutes. Throughout the speech, Booker sharply criticized the Trump administration’s policies and its dismantling of federal institutions. He read aloud letters from constituents impacted by these policies and shared statements from world leaders condemning the administration’s actions.
Booker had spent days preparing for the speech, even fasting and refraining from water well in advance, according to The Hill. While he wasn’t attempting to block a nomination or legislation, he followed the same rules required for a genuine filibuster. Once recognized by the presiding officer, a senator may speak for as long as they wish, provided they remain standing, continue speaking, and do not leave the Senate floor.
Booker occasionally yielded for questions from fellow Democrats, allowing brief pauses, but held the floor for the entirety of his speech.
This event was significant for a few key reasons. First and foremost, it was a show of anger and strength from the Democrats who have had a relatively weak response to the surging freight train that is the Trump administration. This was also a significant moment because of who had previously held the record for longest speech on the Senate floor.
Strom Thurmond (R-SC), a Republican Senator held his seat for almost half a century, famous for serving Congress at 100 years old and for his controversial stances. In 1948, Thurmond ran for president as the States’ Rights Democratic (Dixiecrat) candidate with his main focus being on continuing segregation and opposing federal civil rights laws, according to the U.S. Senate. He deeply opposed desegregation and filibustered every civil rights bill that came before the Senate.
In 1957 he famously filibustered at great length against the Civil Rights Act of 1957 which aimed to establish voting rights protections for Black people, according to NBC News.
That record stood for almost 60 years until Booker broke it last week, recognizing the significance of the moment, but also the bitter irony. Booker reflected that the longest speech on the Senate floor was in opposition to allowing people of color to be in the Senate, according to NBC News.
Booker’s speech breaking Thurmond’s filibuster juxtapose each other perfectly and symbolizes something that would have enraged Thurmond to his core. Not only was his long-standing record broken by a Black Senator, but it was broken trying to raise concerns of the American people who feel as though they have had their democratic principles undermined. Thurmond’s filibuster was only aimed to undermine those same democratic principles and repress Black people, which he ultimately failed to do.
Booker’s speech also represents something that has been missing from American politics for the last couple of months — a genuine and disruptive response to the Trump administration.
After Trump took office, he rushed forward as quickly as possible, sidestepping every limitation, hurdle and guardrail that he could. He and his administration have been creating executive orders, dismantling federal agencies, firing tens of thousands of employees and significantly altering American foreign policy.
On March 4, Trump addressed a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol. Several Democrats made small acts of protest to try and voice their anger and disillusionment with the policies of the Trump administration. According to CNN, some representatives and senators wore pink, others held up signs with words like “false” and “lies” and Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) held up a sign behind Trump that read “This is not normal!”. The most disruptive act of the night came from Rep. Al Green (D-TX) when the representative refused to sit down and allow Trump to continue his speech, which led to him being escorted out of the chambers.
However, the response from the rest of Democrats was lackluster for the most part. Importantly, Booker’s speech disrupted the normal day-to-day flow of the Capitol. It also brought immense media attention to his 25-hour speech. While it by no means stopped the Trump administration in its tracks, it is a good step forward in forming some type of tangible resistance.
Booker’s speech racked up over 350 million likes on his TikTok live stream, 28,000 voicemails of encouragement on Booker’s phone line, especially when he read over 200 stories from concerned constituents, according to NBC.
By highlighting how Trump’s policies have negatively affected regular citizens, drawing attention to the harmful actions of the administration, disrupting the normal flow of the Capitol and working to light a fire under the Democrats, Booker helped energize a party that has lacked a strong and coherent response. His day-long speech is not the end of the effort, but it is a starting point. His speech broke records and helped galvanize the Democrats in Congress who have lacked much of a response to the harmful effects of the Trump administration.
