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Consider This from NPR

Cory Booker wants Democrats to 'Stand' and fight

25 Mar 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What attention-grabbing actions has Cory Booker taken in his political career?

0.031 - 16.729 Juana Summers

Cory Booker has always had a knack for getting attention. As a city councilman in Newark, New Jersey, he staged a 10-day hunger strike at a housing project. As mayor of Newark, he personally shoveled residents' sidewalks and once literally ran into a burning building to save a neighbor.

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16.869 - 33.174 Unknown

My fire director came to me and told me it was a remarkably stupid thing and explained to me that, yeah, you were able to get her out because she probably would have been consumed in the blaze, but at the same time, He thought I put myself at risk. But my response to him is I think that everybody, you know, most people in America would have done the same thing.

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33.455 - 43.234 Juana Summers

That's what he told NPR in 2012. When Booker became a U.S. senator and then a Democratic presidential candidate, he says he made an effort to make friendships across the aisle.

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43.214 - 53.373 Cory Booker

I go to Bible study in Chairman Inhofe's office. He and I pass legislation together to help homeless and foster kids. I went out to try to invite every one of my Republican colleagues to dinner.

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53.493 - 60.987 Juana Summers

That was from a CNN presidential primary debate in 2019. These days, Booker is calling for urgent resistance.

60.967 - 65.352 Cory Booker

I rise today in an unusual manner, and I want to be clear and explain that.

65.673 - 84.795 Juana Summers

Like other Democrats, the New Jersey senator feels that President Trump is pulling the country in a dangerously authoritarian direction. And he is also aware that Democrats don't actually control any levers of power in the federal government. So last year, he took to the Senate floor and started criticizing Trump administration policies.

85.236 - 96.341 Cory Booker

In just 71 days, a president of the United States has inflicted so much harm on Americans' safety. financial stability, the core foundations of our democracy.

96.721 - 121.796 Juana Summers

And he didn't stop until 25 hours later. He'd broken the record for the longest continuous Senate floor speech. In addition to speaking often about President Trump and congressional Republicans, but also what he doesn't like in his own party, Cory Booker has gotten attention for his new book. It compiles his thoughts about American ideals through the histories of American leaders. Consider this.

Chapter 2: What virtues does Cory Booker emphasize in his new book?

558.093 - 576.17 Cory Booker

There is a new generation of leaders that I think have the promise to meet this moment. And then on local levels, I've just been running around my state talking to my county leaders. And I see these young people, teenagers and in their 20s running for their first offices in the same way that I did against the establishment, against the machine.

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576.29 - 595.62 Cory Booker

So if there's anything that I get excited about for the Democratic Party right now is that sense of renewal. It is our time to renew America and to redeem the dream. So to me, it is a time of great fear and great courage, great worry, but great hope. And I want us to seize this moment now.

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596.107 - 599.69 Juana Summers

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, his new book is Stand. Thanks for stopping by.

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599.791 - 602.373 Cory Booker

Thank you for having me.

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602.393 - 621.912 Juana Summers

This episode was produced by Elena Burnett and Connor Donovan with audio engineering by Hannah Glovna. It was edited by Patrick Jaron Watanonan. Our executive producer is Sammy Yannigan. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Juana Summers.

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