President Donald Trump escalated his legislative campaign to eliminate seasonal clock adjustments by publicly posting what appeared to be the personal mobile phone number of Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on Truth Social. Trump criticized Cotton—whom he referred to as a “friend”—for using procedural holds to stall the Sunshine Protection Act, which aims to make daylight saving time permanent.
Trump urged constituents in Arkansas to contact the senator directly to pressure him into allowing a Senate floor vote:
For some reason, Tom is stopping the Bill and, in the Senate, it’s very easy to do, it only takes one! It should pass overwhelmingly, in a Bipartisan fashion. So, everyone in Arkansas, a State I love, and won 3 times, the last by 34 points, tell Tom to, GET IT DONE!
Trump reinforced his demands while speaking to journalists at the White House prior to departing on Marine One for an event in Ohio. Characterizing the biannual time change as an outdated and costly inconvenience, Trump argued that the public prefers permanent evening daylight and is fatigued by clock transitions that disrupt daily routines and schedules. Reporting from Fox News Digital noted that attempts to reach Cotton via the Dardanelle, Arkansas-based phone number provided in the post were unsuccessful.
The public confrontation comes while the Senate remains in recess until November 3, postponing legislative action until after the midterm elections. Although the House of Representatives approved its version of the measure in July by a 308–117 margin, the bill has languished without committee review in the Senate. Trump has framed the legislation as a public safety and health measure, contending that additional evening light reduces crime rates, vehicular collisions, and seasonal affective disorders.
Responding to Trump’s public criticism and earlier procedural objections against a unanimous consent request introduced by Senators Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Cotton defended his opposition on X (formerly Twitter):
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changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Savings Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter.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.
The disclosure mirrors a 2015 incident during Trump’s initial presidential campaign, when he publicly broadcast the personal phone number of then-Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) during a rally following televised critical remarks by Graham.
Cotton, Tom [@SenTomCotton]. “No one likes changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Savings Time multiple times before . . .” X, 3 Oct. 2026.
“Trump Drops Republican Senator’s Phone Number in Social Post over Fury on Stalled Bill.” Fox News, 3 Oct. 2026.
Trump, Donald J. Truth Social post regarding Tom Cotton and the Sunshine Protection Act. Truth Social, 3 Oct. 2026.