On March 31, 2025, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker took the Senate floor and began a record-breaking 25 hour marathon speech criticizing President Donald Trump’s “reckless” actions. His speech covered a variety of topics that Americans have expressed concerns about, from immigration, to mass firings of federal workers, to the general political chaos and confusion in the U.S. By the time Booker’s speech ended at around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1, it had caught the attention of the entire country.
Many Americans have been critical of Democrats in Congress for not doing enough to counteract Trump’s actions since he took office. One example of this was the backlash after a group of Democratic congresswomen wore pink to Trump’s March joint address to Congress, which spurred criticism about the left’s lack of tangible action and reliance on“performative” acts that serve as brief social media moments, but lead to no real help for the American people. And while Booker certainly caught the attention of the nation — a TikTok livestream of the speech amassed over 350 million likes — it wasn’t just a viral sensation designed to be memed. The issues Booker discussed are affecting millions of Americans, and his action has inspired many demoralized Americans who had been waiting for a prominent Democrat to finally do something. Booker’s speech wasn’t just iconic because it lasted over a full day; it was impactful because of the things he said during all those hours of speaking.
If you, understandably, weren’t able to watch all 25 hours and four minutes of Booker’s speech, here are some of the most important quotes from it.
- “I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able.”
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Booker said this at the beginning of his speech, and he would go on to speak for 25 hours without any breaks. He later said that in preparation for the speech, he fasted for days and purposely dehydrated himself so he wouldn’t need to take bathroom breaks. He came prepared.
- “The most powerful man in the world and the richest man in the world have taken a battle axe to the Veterans’ Association, a battle axe to the Department of Education. What will we do in this body? Right now the answer is nothing.”
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Here, Booker criticized his fellow Senators for their inaction amid Trump’s executive orders to dismantle various departments and fire federal workers.
- “This is not right or left, this is right or wrong.”
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This was a quote that Booker said continuously throughout his speech, emphasizing that his fellow Senators on either side of the political aisle should be vocal in criticizing President Trump’s actions. This “country over party” stance has the potential to unite Democrats and Republicans across the nation.
- “Let’s get in good trouble.”
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Here, Booker was referencing the words of Congressman John Lewis, a man who was an integral part of the Civil Rights Movement and later a U.S. representative for Georgia. On March 1, 2020, Lewis famously said, “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and redeem the soul of America.”
- “Trump’s trade war on our allies will only increase costs and fears for American families.”
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This quote was in reference to Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs across the globe. Several countries, including China, Japan, and South Korea, have announced plans to combat these tariffs, which could lead to higher costs for American citizens.
- “[John Lewis] wouldn’t treat this moral moment like it was normal. Where does the Constitution live? On paper or in our hearts?”
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Booker asked this question of his fellow Senators in reference to many criticisms of Trump’s actions being unconstitutional.
- “What kind of man is in our White House that makes fun of the disabled?”
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Booker got emotional while reading aloud a letter from a voter diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which Booker’s own late father had. In this quote, he was likely referencing a moment from Trump’s first presidential campaign when he mocked reporter Serge Kovaleski, who has arthrogryposis.
- “Over and over, he’s breaking promises and doing outrageous things … Do we see what’s happening? How much is enough?”
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Booker addressed the fact that Trump has not kept many of the promises he made during his presidential campaign. From higher grocery prices to an increased likelihood of recession, Booker wanted to highlight that Americans are not better off under Trump.
- “How can we say that we should cut healthcare from the sick and the needy to give bigger tax cuts to Elon Musk?”
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This quote was particularly timely, as this week, the Trump administration began mass layoffs at U.S. health agencies. Booker also directly called out billionaire Elon Musk, a Trump ally who has been a part of many major decisions thus far in Trump’s second term.
- “If America hasn’t broken your heart, then you don’t love her enough.”
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Booker first said this quote in 2020 in a message of hope amid the Black Lives Matter protests. He quoted himself in his Senate speech, emphasizing the message that it’s important to acknowledge this country’s disturbing past in order to make the country better today.
- “Fear is a necessary precondition to courage.”
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Booker discussed that he receives many letters from people who say they are afraid and are expecting him to speak out against Trump’s actions. “I’m scared too,” he stated, before finishing the quote with the above inspiring message to Americans.
- “Our American history, if nothing else, is a perpetual testimony to the achievement of impossible things against impossible odds.”
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Here, Booker was discussing his opposition to a “Disneyfied,” whitewashed version of American history. He argued that the U.S. is a great nation because of many groups that were historically marginalized, like Black Americans, Native Americans, and women — groups that the Trump administration has been removing from official websites.
- Bonus Quote: “Strom Thurmond’s record always … just really irked me, that he would be the longest speech — that the longest speech on our great Senate floor was someone who was trying to stop people like me from being in the Senate.”
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This was something that Senator Booker said in his first interview after his speech, acknowledging that the record for longest Senate speech was previously held by Strom Thurmond. Thurmond filibustered for over 24 hours against the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Booker said that he was speaking “in spite” of this previous record. Booker not only beat Thurmond’s record, but overcame all of the hatred that Thurmond stood for.