US President Donald Trump has publicly disclosed what he described as Republican Senator Tom Cotton’s personal phone number, urging residents of Arkansas to contact the lawmaker over his opposition to legislation that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent.
Trump made the disclosure on Saturday, October 3, in a series of posts on his Truth Social platform, accusing Cotton of holding up the Sunshine Protection Act, which seeks to end the twice-yearly practice of moving clocks forward and backward.
The President urged Arkansas residents to pressure Cotton to support the bill, which passed the US House of Representatives in July but remains stalled in the Senate.
Trump gave the proposal an alternative name, the “We Don’t Want to Change Our Clocks Twice a Year Act,” arguing that Americans should no longer have to adjust their clocks twice annually.
He said permanent Daylight Saving Time would provide more daylight in the afternoon, benefiting activities such as golf, tennis, hunting and farming. He also argued that changing clocks was inconvenient and costly, particularly in places where clocks are difficult to access, including church steeples and municipal buildings.
In his post, Trump called on Arkansans to contact Cotton and encourage him to support the measure, using the slogan “LOCK THE CLOCK!”
Cotton, however, has defended his opposition, warning that keeping Daylight Saving Time throughout the year would leave children and other early risers facing darker mornings during winter.
“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changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Savings Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter.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,” Cotton wrote.
Trump subsequently accused the senator of failing to prioritise Arkansas residents by opposing the proposal.
“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 wrote.
The disagreement has exposed a policy divide between the two Republicans, who generally share many conservative positions but differ over how the United States should handle seasonal clock changes.
The Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 passed the House on July 14 by 308 votes to 117. It would make Daylight Saving Time the permanent standard across the country, while allowing states to opt for permanent standard time under specified provisions. The bill was subsequently referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
Supporters argue that retaining daylight later into the evening would benefit people who work and participate in outdoor activities after conventional working hours. Opponents, including Cotton, argue that the resulting late winter sunrises could create difficulties for schoolchildren, commuters and others who begin their days early.
Trump’s decision to publish the number he identified as Cotton’s personal cellphone number has added another dimension to the dispute, turning a legislative disagreement into a public pressure campaign against a fellow Republican.
The legislation’s future remains uncertain as it awaits further action in the Senate.
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