On March 31, Democratic Senator Cory Booker gave a record-breaking speech on the Senate floor that lasted 25 hours and five minutes, surpassing Republican Senator Strom Thurmond’s 24 hour and 18 minute speech against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
Booker’s speech addressed the “grave and urgent” situation of the nation under the Trump administration, according to the BBC. He discussed the threats that the Trump administration poses to American institutions, such as the Department of Education, and the dangers to Americans’ access to healthcare, specifically Medicaid. Booker highlighted the possibility of an oligarchy developing in the U.S. due to Elon Musk’s role in the federal government.
Booker had been planning a marathon speech since his nomination to the Senate in 2013. According to Booker in an interview with AP News, the record for the longest speech being held by Thurmond, a segregationist, was a “strange shadow hanging over this institution [and] always seemed wrong” to him. Booker’s motive was to uplift the Democratic Party as he considers them unsuccessful in combating President Donald Trump’s executive orders, stated by the BBC.
Booker also explained to The New York Times that he dehydrated himself a day prior to his speech and fasted for several days. He spoke the entire 24 hours and paused only for questions and a religious prayer at noon on Tuesday. Booker showed signs of fatigue, rocking back and forth and shifting his weight onto his desk. He was not allowed to sit for the entirety of his speech and removed his chair to avoid any temptation.
According to AP News, Booker’s family doctor lauded his marathon speech as “an amazing physical feat.” Texas Senator Ted Cruz gave Booker advice to “[w]ear comfortable shoes and don’t drink water.” Cruz has given long speeches in the past, including a 21-hour filibuster in 2013 to protect the Affordable Care Act.
Additionally, Booker received support from colleagues. Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy attended his speech and claimed to return the favor for Booker’s attendance to his nearly 15 hour speech in 2016. Murphy also helped Booker organize a group of Senators to ask questions, allowing him to take breaks from speaking. When Booker broke the record at 7:19 p.m. EST, the senators in the chamber rose for a standing ovation.
Booker ended his speech with a message for the audience about future advocacy against the Trump administration. “A gathering like this can’t be the end of our activism,” he said.
