Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) criticized President Donald Trump in a lengthy speech that commenced on Tuesday evening and stretched into Wednesday morning.
“I am calling the full Senate to protest President Trump’s grave threat to our democracy. We cannot pretend this is normal,” Merkley shared on X late Tuesday. By 6 a.m. the following day, he was still addressing the Senate, continuing for more than 15 and a half hours by 10 a.m.
Merkley expressed concern over what he described as Trump’s attempts to pull the country further into authoritarianism.
The Democratic Party, meanwhile, had strong criticisms for him, making remarks on five separate occasions.
The White House dismissed the Democrats’ claims regarding the president. Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson remarked, “Democrats will do anything short of voting to open the government. A useless overnight floor speech that no one is watching will do nothing to help the millions of Americans who have missed paychecks, lost critical benefits, and suffered other harm from Democrats’ decision to shut down the government over free health care for illegal aliens.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer from New York voiced support for Merkley, appreciating his effort to “stand up for the American people.” Other Democrats showed their support too, including Senators Andy Kim (D-Minn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who applauded him.
On Wednesday, Democrats offered more than just words of encouragement, assisting in keeping the speech alive with questions, allowing Merkley brief moments to rest. This approach was reminiscent of how Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) provided support during his own record-setting speech in April lasting over 25 hours.
Merkley stated, “Trump’s plan is to replace government of the people, for the people, with government of the powerful, for the powerful,” during his time speaking.
However, he also faced pushback from some Republican colleagues. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) labeled Merkley’s speech a stunt. He commented, “Democrats are going to shut down the government and make Capitol Police and Capitol support staff work all night so they can make speeches while patting themselves on the back for hurting the American people. How ridiculous is that?”
Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) referred to the speech as “performance art” and dismissed it as a “meaningless gesture,” arguing that it didn’t contribute to resolving Senate problems or reopening the government.
Merkley made several accusations against Trump and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), suggesting that the government was staging a riot outside an ICE facility in Portland to bolster its power. He highlighted incidents involving protesters, recalling how a woman complying with requests was still subjected to pepper spray.
This isn’t the first time Merkley has embarked on long speeches; he previously spoke for over 15 hours in 2017 in protest of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch’s nomination, asserting that it was unprecedented for a Supreme Court seat to be passed from one president to another.
The ongoing government shutdown, now entering its 22nd day, sets the stage for historical records. The U.S. government’s longest shutdown spanned 35 days during Trump’s term from December 2018 to January 2019.
This story is still developing, and updates will follow.
