Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., spoke out against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk on the Senate floor throughout the night after beginning his marathon speech at 7 p.m. Monday.
The senator was still speaking on the floor as of Tuesday afternoon, more than 18 hours after he had begun.
Over 24 hours later, at 7:20 p.m. on Tuesday, Booker had broken the record for the longest Senate floor speech.
Booker yielded to Sen. Chuck Schumer so he could ask the New Jersey Senator a question.
‘Do you know you have just broken the record?’ Schumer asked. ‘Do you know how proud this caucus is of you? Do you know how proud America is of you?’
Everyone in the chamber, besides the press, gave Booker a standing ovation, including those in the gallery and senate pages.
Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., was seen wiping a tear from her face, while Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., was also seen standing and applauding.
Booker received some support from other Senate Democrats, whom he allowed to speak at times during his hourslong show of opposition against the Trump administration.
Booker said toward the beginning of his speech that Trump, in 71 days, ‘has inflicted so much harm on Americans’ safety, financial stability, the core foundations of our democracy, and even our aspirations as a people for, from our highest offices, a sense of common decency.’
The senator claimed that the Trump administration and congressional Republicans are targeting Medicaid and Medicare programs to fund tax cuts for billionaires and corporations.
He spent some of his time reading messages from people who wrote about various topics, including concerns about Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.
Trump has previously indicated that he will not ‘touch’ Americans’ Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits, but wants to weed out fraud.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who said he planned to join Booker ‘for the entirety of his speech,’ noted that he was ‘returning the favor’ as Booker joined him when he ‘launched a filibuster to demand action on gun violence nine years ago.’
Murphy was among the Democrats who provided Booker with some relief by speaking at times to punctuate the marathon session.
In the social media video, Murphy described his colleague’s effort as ‘extraordinary.’
Booker said in a video before he began his demonstration that he plans to continue speaking as long as he is ‘physically able.’
