Sen. Cory Booker spent Monday night on the Senate floor, delivering a nonstop speech protesting the Trump administration’s policies.
The New Jersey Democrat took the podium at 7 p.m. EDT, vowing to speak “for as long as I am physically able.” He was still standing — with glasses on and papers in hand — as of 11 a.m. on Tuesday, taking periodic breaks by yielding to questions from several fellow Democrats.
By mid-morning, some 40,000 people were watching Booker’s live stream on YouTube.
“I’ve been hearing from people all over my state and indeed all over the nation calling upon folks in Congress to do more, to do things that recognize the urgency, the crisis of the moment,” Booker said in a video posted to social media beforehand. “And so we all have a responsibility, I believe, to do something different, to cause — as [late Rep.] John Lewis said — ‘good trouble,’ and that includes me.”
Booker’s speech took aim at President Trump, White House senior adviser Elon Musk and policies he says show a “complete disregard for the rule of law, the Constitution, and the needs of the American people.”
It covered a wide range of topics overnight, from healthcare and Social Security to immigration, the economy, public education, free speech and foreign policy. And it included portions of letters that Booker said he had received from affected constituents, as well as public comments from world leaders, in recent weeks.
“In just 71 days, the president has inflicted harm after harm on Americans’ safety, financial stability, the foundations of our democracy, and any sense of common decency,” Booker said in his introductory remarks. “These are not normal times in our nation. And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate.”
Trump and Musk have not commented publicly on Booker’s speech as of Tuesday morning. It comes at a tense time for Booker’s party: Nine Democrats joined with Republicans to pass a Trump-backed spending bill last month, preventing a government shutdown but alienating constituents who want lawmakers to push back against the president’s agenda.