Democratic Sen. Cory Booker is calling on his party to resist what he sees as dangerous capitulation to President Donald Trump, warning that history will not be kind to those who stay silent or fall in line.
In an interview with CNN’s Manu Raju, the New Jersey senator said Democrats have an opportunity to build trust with the public by focusing on people—not just politics. He encouraged party leaders to resist pressure and refuse to normalize Trump’s behavior.
“What I want to see more people doing is not doing what some law firms have done, bend the knee to Donald Trump. Not doing what some universities have done, bend the knee to Donald Trump. You see major corporations who want some merger approval not standing up on principle but bending the knee to Donald Trump. That to me is outrageous,” Booker said.
He added, “History is going to remember these people for their complicity in what is a guy that’s going to severely try to undermine our government – who already incited a riot on our Capitol. This is a moment in history where people are going to ask, ‘Where did you stand? Did you bow to an authoritarian leader or did you stand strong and fight?’”
Booker recently clashed with fellow Democrats over bipartisan police benefits legislation, proposing amendments that would prevent the Trump administration from withholding Department of Justice grants for political purposes—something he claims is already occurring in his home state. He criticized Democrats for yielding to Trump even as he “violates the Constitution” and “trashes our norms and traditions.”
“How far are we going to let (Trump) go until we draw a line and say, ‘I don’t care where it is, on the floor of the Senate, within our communities, we’re going to stand and fight against this authoritarianism?’” he told CNN.
Booker also pushed for a tougher Democratic stance on redistricting, pointing to Texas where Republicans are pursuing a Trump-backed effort to redraw the congressional map to their advantage. He suggested Democrats should consider similar measures in New Jersey—even if that contradicts their past calls for nonpartisan redistricting.
Trump “thinks you should break the rules for Democrats to sit back and just say, ‘OK, we’re going to play by the queen’s rules,’” Booker said.
“No, I’m telling you right now we need to win in the midterm. We need to stop him from cheating, from lying, and from stealing the election. And if they’re doing something to add their congressional seats, we need to look at our ways of doing that right now,” he added.
Booker’s message comes at a time of growing dissatisfaction among Democratic voters, some of whom are rallying behind more progressive figures such as Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old Democratic socialist who recently won the New York City mayoral primary.
Asked if he supports Mamdani, Booker sidestepped the question. “New York City, I love you. You’re my neighbor. You’re about 10 miles from where I live. You guys figure out your elections,” he said. “I’m going to focus on mine.”
