Trump Escalates Push for Permanent Daylight Saving Time, Urges Contact with Arkansas Senator

On Saturday, former President Donald Trump intensified his advocacy for permanent daylight saving time by publicly urging supporters to contact Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican and chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, to back the Sunshine Protection Act.

The Sunshine Protection Act has cleared the House of Representatives but encounters significant resistance in the Senate, where some Republicans voice strong opposition. Proponents, including Trump, argue that permanent daylight saving time would extend daylight hours during peak activity periods. Critics, however, warn that it could result in darker, more hazardous winter mornings, particularly for children awaiting school buses and commuters driving in darkness.

Daylight saving time refers to the seasonal adjustment where clocks are set one hour ahead of standard time, typically from spring to fall. Not all states observe this practice, and under the proposed legislation, states would have the option to opt out if their legislatures decide to do so before the bill’s enactment.

In a social media message, Trump claimed that Senator Cotton was obstructing the bill, stating, “For some reason, Tom is stopping the Bill.” He added that passing the proposal would benefit professional golfers by providing more time on the greens, and encouraged Arkansans to pressure Cotton, saying, “GET IT DONE! It will be appreciated by all.”

Trump shared a phone number with an Arkansas area code. The Associated Press attempted to call the number but received no answer, and the voicemail box was full. Similarly, The Guardian was unable to reach the recipient, with the service carrier indicating unavailability.

Senator Cotton, a member of Republican leadership, reaffirmed his opposition to permanent daylight saving time in a social media post on Saturday afternoon. He noted that while no one enjoys changing clocks, Congress has previously enacted and repealed permanent daylight saving time due to concerns over excessively late winter sunrises. “Arkansans don’t want their kids going to school in the pitch dark, and I’ll always put Arkansas first,” he stated.

Cotton pointed out that under permanent daylight saving time, many Arkansans would not see sunrise until 8:00 AM or 8:30 AM during the winter’s peak. He cited examples from other locations, such as Seattle not seeing sunrise until 9:00 AM and Williston, North Dakota, until nearly 9:45 AM.

Trump, who was spending the day at his golf club in northern Virginia before traveling to Ohio, quickly responded. “If Tom Cotton were putting Arkansas first, he would give them an extra hour of daylight and, more importantly, they wouldn’t have to run all over their houses, farms, work places, and everywhere else, twice a year, having to change their Clocks, and often forgetting to do so,” Trump said. He emphasized that this approach would truly prioritize Arkansas.

This is not the first instance of Trump disclosing personal information about a U.S. senator. During the 2016 Republican presidential nomination race, after Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina criticized Trump’s fitness for office, Trump released Graham’s personal cellphone number. This led to a viral video where Graham dramatically destroyed flip phones. Graham later became a close ally of Trump before his passing in July. Senator John McCain of Arizona, whom Trump had also disparaged, died in 2018.

A 2025 poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicates that most Americans prefer to retain the extra hour of daylight in the evening. Only 12% of U.S. adults favor the current system of daylight saving time, which requires biannual clock adjustments, while 47% are opposed and 40% remain neutral.

Members of Congress have long debated the benefits and costs of daylight saving time since its adoption as a wartime measure in 1942 during World War II. The Senate passed a bill in 2022 to make daylight saving time permanent, but it stalled in the House.

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