Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) fasted for days and stopped drinking water the night before his record-breaking 25-hour filibuster this week on the Senate floor, he told reporters after it was over.
“I think I stopped eating on Friday,” he said.
Reporters asked the 55-year-old lawmaker how he managed to stand for so long – and why he didn’t need bathroom breaks. One even questioned Booker about rumors that he was wearing a catheter.
He laughed at that one and reiterated that dehydration was behind his ability to avoid trips to the men’s room. However, Booker admitted that his doctor might be upset with him for that approach.
“I think that had good and bad benefits,” said Booker, who explained that he started to experience cramping from the lack of water.
Still, Booker said he thought the filibuster “seemed like the right thing to do,” amidst the current political climate. Here’s what you need to know about what he did, and why he did it.
What is a filibuster?
A filibuster is a “loosely defined term for action designed to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill, resolution, amendment, or other debatable question,” according to the U.S. Senate. In 1917, the Senate adopted a rule that allows a two-thirds majority to end a filibuster through a procedure known as cloture and later that number was reduced to three-fifths of all senators duly chosen and sworn.
This wasn’t Booker’s first experience with a filibuster. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) noted in a Monday X post that Booker “stayed on the floor with me for all 15 hours,” during his filibuster in 2016. Murphy conducted that filibuster to demand progress on gun safety issues.
“He just began his own filibuster to protest Trump’s lawlessness and corruption. I’m returning the favor. Here on the floor with him all night,” said Murphy.
Prior to Booker’s 25-hour marathon, former Republican Sen. Storm Thurmond of South Carolina held the filibuster record at 24 hours and 18 minutes. Thurmond filibustered the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
“I found it strange that he had the record,” said Booker.
Why did Booker do this filibuster?
According to a press release from Booker’s office, his intention was to speak as long as he was physically able to so he could “uplift the stories of Americans who are being harmed by the Trump Administration’s reckless actions, attempts to undermine our institutions, and disregard for the rule of law.”
President Donald Trump took office this January after defeating former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate. Since the election, Booker noted that he and his staffers, as well as Democrats, have been in a tough spot. In addition to Trump winning the election, Republicans also won majorities in the House and the Senate.
“We’ve contributed to where we are,” said Booker of his party. He told reporters that people have been asking Democrats to do more, to take risks and to try different things during this period. His filibuster is one step towards meeting these goals.
At the same time, Booker also directly criticized the actions of Trump and his advisor, multibillionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. As the figurehead for Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk has touted cost savings for the government, much of which is tied to layoffs of federal employees. In an X thread, Booker outlined some of his criticism of Trump and Musk.
Booker’s office said that he spoke for a total of 25 hours and five minutes, covering 1,164 pages of prepared material. That included 200 stories from Americans.
“Americans aren’t a line item in a budget to cut. Your story matters, your voice matters, this fight matters,” said Booker in an X post.
One of the stories he shared was the accidental deportation of Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia to a prison in El Salvador. Garcia’s wife is a U.S. citizen and he has a 5-year-old daughter. Booker said that Garcia has a protected status, no criminal history in the U.S. and that the Trump administration admitted that he was deported due to an administrative error.
What has the response been like?
Fellow Democratic politicians, including former VP Harris and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, praised Booker’s filibuster.
“We must continue to fight for the best of who we are as Americans,” said Harris. “Thank you, Cory, for your leadership.”
Booker’s office said his livestream on TikTok garnered more than 350 million likes. It also said he received more than 28,000 voicemails of encouragement and that more than 300,000 people were watching the livestream across multiple platforms at peak viewing.
“Call me lazy if you want, but in preparing this column I did not actually watch or read all 25 hours of Babblin’ Booker’s remarks. If there were five people in the world who did, I would be shocked,” said FOX News columnist David Marcus, one of the people who was not impressed with Booker’s filibuster. “From the highlights, so to speak, we mostly see flailing arms and crazy-eyed proclamations that the Trump administration ‘is not normal.’”
What’s next?
“I think a lot of us need to do a lot more,” said Booker just after the event.
He also said that lawmakers need to: “Start thinking – visions that are not about defeating another political party, but about bringing us to a new era in our country…”
In an X post from 9:04 p.m. Tuesday, Booker said that “this is just the beginning,” and he encouraged others to speak up about their stories. He also thanked people for supporting his effort.