Trump publicizes Arkansas senator's phone number in push for permanent daylight saving time

US President Donald Trump on Saturday publicly pressed Americans to call Republican senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, posting what appeared to be the senator's personal cellphone number on social media in an effort to secure his support for a bill establishing permanent daylight saving time. Trump claimed Cotton was single-handedly blocking the legislation and urged Arkansans to pressure him directly. Both the Associated Press and the Guardian attempted to call the number but received no answer.

The legislation, known as the Sunshine Protection Act, passed the House of Representatives in July but has run into resistance in the Senate, where several Republicans oppose it. Under current law, most of the US shifts clocks forward by an hour in spring and back in fall; the bill would end that twice-yearly change while allowing individual states to opt out if their legislatures act before the law takes effect.

Trump and his administration argue permanent daylight saving time would give Americans more usable daylight during their active hours. Cotton pushed back publicly, noting that Congress has tried permanent daylight saving time before and repealed it each time once the public experienced extremely late winter sunrises. He warned that parts of Arkansas could see sunrise as late as 8am or 8:30am in winter under the change, with places like Seattle and parts of North Dakota facing even later sunrises — a particular concern for schoolchildren waiting for buses in the dark.

Speaking to reporters afterward, Trump said he wanted to eliminate the twice-yearly clock changes, which he described as disruptive and confusing, citing his own experience at the White House. A 2025 AP-NORC poll found only 12% of Americans support keeping the current system of changing clocks, while 47% oppose it and 40% are neutral. The Senate passed similar legislation in 2022, but it failed to advance through the House at that time.