Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) has revealed himself as the mastermind behind a coordinated social media campaign involving nearly two dozen Senate Democrats, following an offer from billionaire Elon Musk to reward anyone who could identify the script’s author. Musk, a frequent political agitator, had called the videos “propaganda” and offered a free Tesla Cybertruck to the first person who could provide proof of who was behind them.
The campaign, which rolled out Tuesday morning, featured at least 22 Democratic senators posting nearly identical minute-long videos attacking President Trump’s policies. The effort came just hours before Trump was set to address Congress, aiming to highlight what the senators described as his “broken promises” on lowering prices for American families.
Each video followed a near-identical script, first playing a clip of Trump saying, “When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on Day One.” Then, the lawmaker in the video would appear on screen, bluntly countering, “S— that ain’t true, that’s what you just saw.”
The videos accused Trump of failing to lower prices and worsening inflation, pointing to rising costs of groceries, gas, rent, and housing. The Democratic senators also took aim at Trump’s early presidential actions, including pardoning January 6 rioters and launching what they called a reckless mission under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), spearheaded by Musk himself.
The campaign quickly caught the attention of right-wing media and Republican lawmakers, many of whom mocked the uniformity of the videos. But Musk’s reaction took the spotlight when he challenged his followers to expose the person responsible for crafting the message.
“Now we’re up to 22 Dem senators all doing the same cringe video simultaneously!” Musk posted on X, formerly Twitter. “I will buy a Cybertruck for anyone who 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!”
Just two hours later, Booker himself replied with a simple message:
“Clearly you are triggered by the truth. It was me. Keep your truck.”
In his own video, Booker doubled down on the campaign’s central point, taking direct aim at Trump’s economic record. “Since Day One of Donald Trump’s presidency, prices are up, not down. Inflation is getting worse, not better,” he said. “Prices of groceries, gas, housing, rent, eggs—they’re all getting more expensive. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has done nothing to lower costs for you.”
Booker and his fellow senators also criticized Trump’s early executive decisions, particularly his handling of federal programs. The videos accused Trump of allowing Musk to slash government operations under the DOGE initiative, which has resulted in sweeping job cuts across key agencies.
“In the most ham-handed fashion, he’s fired thousands of essential government workers—people who were literally working to make government more efficient and more accountable,” Booker stated 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 campaign concluded with a unified Democratic message: “The Republican plan is simple: you lose, and billionaires win. And that’s the truth.”
The synchronized nature of the campaign became an easy target for critics on the right. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) mocked the effort on social media, writing, “Not one original thought, ever.”
GOP strategist Scott Jennings took a similar swipe, posting: “Voters: We need more authenticity in our politicians! Dems:” alongside a repost of the video campaign.
Despite the mockery, Booker’s admission that he orchestrated the campaign sent a clear message that Democrats were ready to take the fight directly to Trump. While Musk’s challenge may have been intended as a dismissal, it ultimately gave the campaign an even larger platform—one that Booker was more than happy to embrace.
As Trump prepared to address Congress, Democrats made their stance clear: they see his presidency as a direct threat to affordability for working families, and they’re willing to use every available tool—including viral social media campaigns—to make that argument.
Meanwhile, Musk, who has increasingly inserted himself into political debates, found himself in an awkward position. His offer of a free Cybertruck was meant to undermine the Democratic effort, but instead, it served as an unintentional advertisement for their message.
In the end, rather than embarrassing Booker, Musk found himself exposed—once again proving that in American politics, billionaires may have money, but they don’t always have control of the conversation.
