President Donald Trump used Truth Social to pressure Sen. Tom Cotton over the Sunshine Protection Act, publishing what he said was Cotton's cell phone number and urging Arkansans to call. The bill — which passed the House in July — would keep daylight saving time year-round, preserving extra evening daylight. Cotton pushed back on X, warning that past attempts at permanent daylight saving time produced very late winter sunrises and raising safety concerns for children and commuters. Trump attached a supportive letter from PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp and continued to press the issue throughout the day.
Trump Floods Truth Social Over Daylight Saving Bill — Posts Sen. Tom Cotton’s Alleged Cell Number
Truth Social/@realDonaldTrump
President Donald Trump launched a multi-post assault on Truth Social Saturday targeting Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) over the Sunshine Protection Act, even publishing what he said was the senator's personal cell phone number and urging Arkansans to call him.
The dispute centers on legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent nationwide and eliminate the twice-yearly clock changes. The measure, commonly called the Sunshine Protection Act, passed the House in July and would keep clocks on daylight saving time year-round — preserving an extra hour of evening daylight instead of shifting it to morning hours.
What Trump Posted
In an early-morning Truth Social post, Trump singled out Cotton, calling him "a friend of mine" and accusing him of holding up the bill. He complained about the inconvenience of changing clocks, writing that people prefer having sunshine in the afternoon rather than early in the morning. Trump closed that post by publishing what he said was Cotton’s cell number and urging residents of Arkansas to contact the senator directly.
"Everybody in Arkansas, Tom Cotton, a friend of mine, is holding up a very important Bill. It's called, 'The Sunshine Protection Act'... Nobody wants to spend their precious time running all over the place, turning Clocks back twice a year."
Cotton's Response And The Policy Arguments
Sen. Cotton replied on X (formerly Twitter), acknowledging that no one likes changing clocks while arguing that previous attempts to make daylight saving time permanent were reversed after Americans experienced extremely late winter sunrises. Cotton said he was prioritizing Arkansans' safety, writing that parents would not want children going to school in the dark.
Truth Social/@realDonaldTrump
"No one likes changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Savings Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter. Arkansans don't want their kids going to school in the pitch dark, and I'll always put Arkansas first."
Trump continued the back-and-forth with additional Truth Social posts, saying that farmers, sports fans and others supported the bill and attaching a letter of support from PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp. By late Saturday afternoon the former president had devoted more than 700 words across multiple posts to the subject and reiterated similar talking points to reporters.
Practical Details
Daylight saving time is scheduled to end this year on Nov. 1 at 2 a.m., when clocks are set back one hour to standard time.
Context And Reactions
The debate over permanent daylight saving time pits convenience and longer evening daylight against safety and practical concerns about very late winter sunrises for schools, commuters and certain regions. Critics also raised concerns after Trump's posts about the propriety of publishing a lawmaker's personal phone number on a public platform.
Read the original reporting on HuffPost for full context.
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