Cory Booker, Democrat US Senator from New Jersey, broke the record for the longest Senate speech. His marathon speech – a symbolic protest against President Donald Trump – ended after 25 hours and four minutes in which he warned of a “grave and urgent” moment in American history and accused Trump of “recklessly” challenging the country’s democratic institutions, according to the British broadcaster BBC and Reuters.
The previous record was held by Republican Senator Strom Thurmond, who spoke against the Civil Rights Act for 24 hours and 18 minutes in 1957.
Although it was not a filibuster – speech aimed at obstructing the passage of the bill, it did obstruct legislative work in the Republican-controlled Senate. Under the rules for such speeches, the speaker must remain standing and refrain from taking a toilet break.
BOOKER SAID HE WOULD SPEAK FOR AS LONG AS HE WAS PHYSICALLY ABLE, STARTING HIS SPEECH ON MONDAY EVENING AT AROUND 19:00 LOCAL TIME. HE CONCLUDED HIS SPEECH AT 20:06 ON TUESDAY.
Booker, 55, filled part of his time reading letters from voters who said they had been harmed by President Trump’s policies. The former presidential candidate also spent time discussing sport, reciting poetry and answering questions from colleagues.
Booker, who is African-American, also spoke about his roots as a descendant of both slaves and slave owners.
But the unifying theme of Booker’s fury was the campaign by Elon Musk to reduce the size and scope of the US government.
“Our institutions are being recklessly and unconstitutionally attacked and even destroyed,” said Booker, who was first elected to the Senate in 2013.
He repeatedly referred to activists getting into “good trouble” by opposing Trump – a term often used by Democratic Representative John Lewis, who was a civil rights leader.
“The Trump and Vance administration continue to plunge us into chaos,” said Booker. “Trump’s trade war against our allies will only increase costs and fear for American families.”
As Booker began the final hours of his speech, most of his fellow Democrats took their seats in the chamber, while the Republican seats on the opposite side of the chamber were empty. Booker used this time to urge Congress to take control of the President, as required by the US Constitution, and to take into account “the voices of our constituents”.
“This is a moral moment for all Americans. This is not about left or right. It is about right or wrong. Let’s get into good trouble,” said Booker as his voice broke. Then he ended his speech.
Let’s get in Good Trouble. pic.twitter.com/7RzouaarKx
— Sen. Cory Booker (@SenBooker) April 2, 2025
When he reached the milestone, Booker said he was going to “address a couple of biological needs.”
During his speech, he was able to rest his jaw as he took questions from colleagues, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Dick Durbin and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
The Democratic Party, which is not currently in power in the White House, the Senate or the House of Representatives, supported Booker’s symbolic act of protest.
Booker’s speech is also the longest in the Senate since 2013, when Republican Senator Ted Cruz spoke for 21 hours against Obamacare. Cruz said that such a speech is physically demanding. He wore comfortable shoes and tried to drink as little water as possible.
Booker was energetic throughout the speech, but on Tuesday afternoon there were signs of fatigue.