NEWARK, NJ – Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) has doubled down on his decision to orchestrate a series of viral videos that sparked both attention and controversy earlier this week.
The coordinated social media effort, which featured Booker alongside Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), aimed to critique President Donald Trump’s economic policies ahead of his recent congressional address.
However, the campaign’s heavily scripted nature and synchronized messaging have drawn a mix of praise, ridicule, and skepticism, prompting Booker to address the fallout.
The videos, posted on March 4, showcased the three prominent Democrats delivering nearly identical remarks, complete with matching b-roll footage of Trump promising to “bring prices down” and the senators responding with the expletive-laden quip, “Sh*t, that ain’t true.”
Booker, who has claimed credit as the architect of the campaign, intended to leverage social media’s reach to amplify the Democratic message. “The intention was to reach more people online,” Booker said in a statement on Saturday.
“Clearly, this was very successful—it got attention. Many more folks saw this than would have otherwise,” Booker said.
The campaign undeniably achieved visibility, racking up millions of views across platforms like X and TikTok. Yet, its success in clicks has not necessarily translated to political goodwill. Critics, including prominent figures like Elon Musk and Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), quickly pointed out the videos’ word-for-word uniformity, labeling them “staged” and “pathetic.” Musk posted on X, questioning,
“Who is writing the words that the puppets speak?”
Meanwhile, conservative commentator Charlie Kirk called the effort “fake and staged,” suggesting it underestimated the public’s intelligence.
Posts on X reflect a broader sentiment of embarrassment among some observers, with one user describing Booker as a “clown show” for standing by the strategy.