Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) on Tuesday revealed he was behind a social media campaign involving nearly two dozen Democratic senators after tech billionaire Elon Musk offered a Tesla Cybertruck to the first person to provide “proof” of who wrote the script, which he called “propaganda.”
The social media campaign was launched Tuesday morning, with at least 22 Senate Democrats posting nearly minute-long videos slamming President Trump ahead of his address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday evening.
The lawmakers largely followed the same script to highlight what they called “broken promises” on lowering prices for Americans “on day one.”
Similar videos were posted on the lawmakers’ X or Instagram accounts on Tuesday and eventually caught the attention of right-leaning voices, who ridiculed the Democrats for the campaign messaging.
“Now we’re up to 22 Dem senators all doing the same cringe video simultaneously!” Musk wrote on X Tuesday. “I will buy a Cybertruck for anyone can provide proof of who wrote this particular piece of propaganda. First person to post proof in the replies to this post gets the truck!”
Booker, the chair of the Senate Democratic Leadership Team, replied two hours later on X, “Clearly you are triggered by the truth. It was me. Keep your truck.”
In the video, which was posted by Booker as well, the lawmakers play a video of a campaign clip from Trump, who said, “When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on Day One.”
The camera pans to the lawmaker, who tells the camera, “S— that ain’t true, that’s what you just saw.”
“Since Day One of Donald Trump’s presidency, prices are up, not down. Inflation is getting worse, not better,” Booker said in his video. “Prices of groceries, gas, housing, rent, eggs– they’re all getting more expensive. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has done nothing to lower costs for you.”
The lawmakers call out some of Trump’s actions in his first few weeks of presidency, including the pardoning of Jan. 6 insurrection rioters and allowing Musk to “take a chainsaw to vital government programs for Americans,” as part of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) mission.
“In the most ham-handed fashion, he’s fired thousands of essential government workers. People literally who are working to make government more efficient and more accountable,” Booker said in his clip. “He’s frozen federal funding for vital programs, like cancer research, veteran services, education programs, payments to family farmers, and so much more.”
The clip ends with the lawmakers stating, “The Republican plan is simple: you lose and billionaires win. And that’s the truth.”
Some Republicans were quick to criticize the video campaign on social media.
“Not one original thought, ever,” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) wrote on X.
Scott Jennings, a GOP pundit and former aide, chimed in, “Voters: We need more authenticity in our politicians! Dems:” in a repost about the video campaign.
