Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.) told a liberal gathering Wednesday that Americans have lost a "sense of common purpose" and the current state of America should break peoples' hearts.
"If this country hasn’t broken your heart, you don’t love her enough," Booker said. "If you're not deeply disturbed by what's coming, you got to check your own love."
Booker was speaking at the We The People Summit, a liberal gathering hosted by the Communications Workers of America, a union of those working in media and part of the AFL-CIO.
Booker said Americans share a "common pain" and have lost their "sense of common purpose." He later added that Americans need to "understand" the country is "one nation, indivisible, with one destiny."
"Folks are trying to divide us and cut us up, pin us against each other: poor white folks against poor black folks, poor brown folks against poor black folks," Booker said. "We need to understand this is one nation, indivisible, with one destiny."
Booker called "patriotism" a "fine word," but said Americans cannot truly be patriotic unless they love their fellow Americans.
"Some people call it patriotism – that's a fine word," he said, "but understand patriotism is love of country, and you can not love your country unless you love your fellow countrymen and women."
Booker has worked to boost his own personal profile as many Democrats count him to be a viable 2020 presidential candidate. The New Jersey Democrat has remained noncommittal to running, saying he would consider a 2020 run further down the road, after the 2018 midterm elections.
"My focus right now is two things; my own reelection and making sure we’re in a strong position for that and the 2018 elections," he said. "I think, that passes, I’ll sit down and give a hard consideration about a lot of folks that are talking to me about doing something else."
Booker has been strongly opposed to President Donald Trump's administration. He testified against Jeff Sessions' bid to become Attorney General and shouted down Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen during a hearing.