Cory Booker: So he held the 25-hour speech in the Senate

At 8:05 p.m. on Tuesday evening, Cory Booker finally stopped. The US senator looked exhausted and fought-no wonder, after all, he had talked almost continuously for 25 hours and five minutes. The Democrat politician thus set a new record.

In order to set a sign against Donald Trump’s policy, Booker decided to do this. And it wanted to be well prepared. Because during his speech, the 55-year-old was not allowed to sit down or leave the hall according to the rules of the Senate. Booker could only take speech breaks during the questions and comments from other senators.

In order to be able to hold out the 25-hour appearance, the Senator from New Jersey previously underwent drastic restrictions. He radically fasted the week earlier, Booker said after his marathon speech. “I stopped eating on Friday and then drinking the evening before the start on Monday,” he said to journalists. After all, he would have lost his right to speak during a toilet break.

This strategy had “advantages and disadvantages”, Booker summed up, who has been sitting in the Senate since 2013. The dehydration led to cramps that was his biggest problem. In order not to be tempted to sit down, he had a chair removed near the speaker.

But not only physically, there was also a big challenge mentally. According to a notification of his office, Booker and his employees had prepared 1164 pages of material, including more than 200 experience reports from citizens that the senator spoke. He not only filled the time with criticism of Trump, but also with reading poems and explanations about sport.

Before the speech, Booker removed everything out of his pockets to make themselves as easy as possible – except for a note with a Bible verse of the Prophet Isaiah: “But they are on the Lord, get new strength; they will drive up with wings like eagles, they will run and do not become matt, they will change and not get tired.” Booker later explained that he had completely rely on his faith.

When Chuck Schumer, the democratic minority leader, pointed out that he had broken the previous record for the longest speech in the Senate, Booker came to tears. So far, this current Thurmond, which spoke 24 hours and 18 minutes in 1957. With his filibuster, as such marathon speeches, Thurmond wanted to prevent voting on a civil rights law that should protect the right to vote for the blacks.

Cory Booker said that a politician of all people holds the record with such a speech with such a speech. The Senator started his speech on Monday evening at 7 p.m., talked through all night and until the following evening. “I didn’t know how long I would last,” said Booker afterwards. “I am grateful that I did 25 hours.”

Booker wanted to protest with the speech against Donald Trump’s policy. “I rise tonight because I honestly believe that our country is in a crisis,” he said at the beginning of his speech. “These are not normal times.” Trump’s Republicans remained largely far from the performance.