- Sen. Cory Booker held the Senate floor for more than 24 hours.
- His speech has focused on what he calls a crisis in the country from the Trump administration's recklessness.
- His speech is the longest in Senate history.
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., has broken the record for longest speech in Senate history after speaking for over 25 hours.
Booker’s marathon speech began on Monday night at 7 p.m. and ended at 8:05 p.m. on Tuesday, his speech ended up being 25 hours and five minutes long.
The previous record was held by Strom Thurmond in 1957, who filibustered for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957, per The Associated Press.
“I didn’t know how long I could go. I’m so grateful I lasted for 25 hours,” Booker said, per ABC.
His over 25-hour-long speech was an effort to spotlight what he referred to as a “crisis” facing the country due to the Trump administration’s “recklessness,” according to The New York Times.
“This is not right or left, it is right or wrong,” Booker said, according to The New York Times. “This is not a partisan moment, it is a moral moment. Where do you stand?”
The senator ran for president in 2020.
According to The New York Times, Booker has been bothered by the fact that the record was held by a segregationist from South Carolina and he contemplated giving a marathon floor speech for weeks.
Booker stood for the entirety of his marathon speech and went without bathroom breaks. He did take occasional pauses from speaking for questions from his fellow Democrats, he yielded for questions while still retaining the floor.
Near the start of his speech, Booker said, “I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able, I rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our nation is in crisis,” per The New York Times.
Since Booker’s speech did not come during a debate about a certain bill or nominee, it is not a filibuster. The Senate was scheduled to convene at noon and Booker’s speech interrupted the chamber’s business, per the AP.
Why did Booker give this marathon speech?
According to The New York Times, the speech seems to be a part of the Democrats trying to take initiative and oppose President Donald Trump more assertively.
Booker posted on X before his speech, saying that he was taking to the floor because of Trump and Elon Musk’s “complete disregard for the rule of law, the Constitution, and the needs of the American people.”
The speech was divided into segments, each focusing on a different aspect of the current administration’s policies, including health care, immigration, national security and education.
During the speech, Booker read what were, according to him, letters from constituents, per The Associated Press. One of these letters expressed concerns over Trump’s talk of annexing Greenland and Canada as well as a “looming constitutional crisis.”
As he spoke, he read from a binder of notes and also waved around a small copy of the U.S. Constitution as he pointed out how he believes President Donald Trump has gone against the constitution.
Shortly before taking the floor, Booker posted a video on X sharing that he would be taking the floor for as long as he could because of concerns he has heard from people across the country.
Booker also spent time in his speech railing against cuts to Social Security offices led by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, per the AP. He expressed concerns that broader cuts could be coming even through Republican lawmakers said there will not be cuts to Medicare or Medicaid.
What are the longest Senate speeches in history?
Thurmond’s filibuster is now the second-longest speech in Senate history. In third place is former Sen. Alfonse D’Amato who spoke for 23 hours and 30 minutes in 1986. D’Amato had another marathon filibuster in 1992 when he spoke for over 15 hours, per Axios.
The fourth-longest Senate speech now belongs to Wayne Morse who spoke 22 hours and 26 minutes in 1953.
Two sitting senators have held the floor for notable marathon speeches.
In 2013, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, spoke for 21 hours and 19 minutes in opposition to the Affordable Care Act, which is now the fifth-longest speech in Senate history, according to Axios.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., held the floor for 15 hours in 2016 as part of a push to gain votes on gun control legislation.
Notable reactions to the record breaking speech
Throughout Booker’s speech and after, many people took to social media to comment on Booker’s actions as well as thank him for what he did.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris shared her appreciation for Booker on X.
Another person who posted about Booker’s speech was musician Jon Bon Jovi.
Another one was fellow democratic senator Murphy who did his own marathon speech in 2016.
The other senator from New Jersey, Andy Kim, D-N.J., shared how he brought his kids to the Capitol to cheer on Booker.
There were people who criticized Booker’s actions and what he said in his speech, one of these people was White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller who posted on X.