Trump urges Americans to call Sen. Tom Cotton as he pushes Congress to make daylight saving time permanent

What happened

President Donald Trump on Saturday urged Americans to call Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, to pressure him into supporting a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent. The Associated Press reported, in a story published by PBS NewsHour, that Trump's social media post included what appeared to be Cotton's personal cellphone number.

The AP said it called the number, which had an Arkansas area code, but no one answered and the voicemail box was full. Cotton responded later Saturday by restating his opposition to the policy, setting off a public back-and-forth with the president.

What the Sunshine Protection Act would do

The bill at the center of the dispute is the Sunshine Protection Act, which passed the House in July. According to the AP, it faces roadblocks in the Senate, where some Republicans are strongly opposed. Daylight saving time is the stretch between spring and fall when clocks in most of the country are set one hour ahead of standard time.

How states could opt out

Not all states observe daylight saving time. Under the bill, the AP reported, states could opt out of the change if their legislatures act to do so before the bill is enacted.

Arguments on each side

Supporters, including the White House, argue that the change would give Americans more daylight during the hours they are most active. Opponents say permanent daylight saving time would bring darker winter mornings, with children waiting for school buses and parents driving to work before sunrise, which they describe as potentially more hazardous.

How the dispute played out Saturday

Trump's posts

Trump blamed Cotton for stopping the bill and told Arkansas residents to tell Cotton to "GET IT DONE!" Speaking to reporters as he left the White House for a rally in Vandalia, Ohio, Trump said changing clocks is a lot of work and that "It discombobulates everybody." He also said the time change leaves golfers and tennis players with less time to play.

Cotton's response

Cotton, a member of Republican leadership, wrote that Congress has enacted permanent daylight saving time several times before and repealed it each time after Americans experienced very late winter sunrises. "Arkansans don't want their kids going to school in the pitch dark, and I'll always put Arkansas first," Cotton wrote, according to the AP. Trump then replied that giving Arkansas an extra hour of daylight would be "really putting Arkansas FIRST."

The AP noted that Cotton is not the only GOP senator who opposes the policy, though he has been among the most vocal.

Public opinion and past attempts

A 2025 poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that, if forced to choose, most Americans would prefer to keep the extra hour of evening daylight. Only 12% of U.S. adults favor the current system of changing clocks twice a year, while 47% oppose it and 40% are neutral.

Congress has debated the costs and benefits of daylight saving time since it was first adopted as a wartime measure in 1942. The Senate passed a bill four years ago to make it permanent, but that effort stalled in the House, the AP reported.

Political backdrop

The AP described the episode as a remarkable escalation that comes just weeks before the midterm elections, when Republicans would prefer the president focus on affordability and the party's achievements. Cotton is up for reelection this November, though that race is not expected to be competitive. The AP also reported that Trump and Cotton, while sharing many policy positions, are not known to be close. More national coverage is collected on our Nation page.

What to watch next

• Whether the Senate takes up the Sunshine Protection Act, which passed the House in July but faces opposition from some Senate Republicans.
• Whether any state legislatures move to opt out, since the bill lets states do so only if they act before it is enacted.
• Cotton's reelection race this November, part of midterm elections the AP said are just weeks away.