Opposing Trump's Agenda, Cory Booker Delivers Longest Senate Speech on Record

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) spoke for over 24 hours on the Senate floor, beating the previous record held by Strom Thurmond.

The Details: Booker's speech primarily focused on criticizing various policies of the Trump administration, particularly its large cuts to spending across a wide array of government functions. It was not technically a filibuster as it did not prevent a specific order of business from moving forward.

Key Quotes: "It should not be possible in America for one single man — even an elected president — to stop funds which Congress has already allocated," said Booker during the speech. He also expressed his intent to break the record of "the man who tried to stop the rights upon which I stand," referring to Thurmond's support for racial segregation.

For Context: Thurmond delivered his record-setting speech in 1957 to delay a vote on a civil rights bill that ultimately passed and was signed into law; the filibuster lasted 24 hours and 18 minutes.

How The Media Covered It: Raw Story (Left bias) cast Booker's speech in a positive light, calling it an "anti-Trump manifesto" criticizing the "dismantling of the federal government via tech billionaire Elon Musk" and the Department of Government Efficiency. In contrast, the Gateway Pundit (Right) described Booker as "bug-eyed" and his speech as a "rant." Axios (Lean Left) said the Democrats "desperately needed" the "attention" and "applause" Booker garnered, characterizing the party's response to Trump's second term so far as lackluster.

Photo Bias: Gateway Pundit used an unflattering still from a video of Booker, while Axios used a photo taken from below which gave him an aura of power.

Revised by the AllSides staff (of humans) after a first draft from our custom AI. Learn more. Support our mission.