Donald Trump posted what he said was Tom Cotton’s cell phone number on Truth Social on Saturday while pressing Senate Republicans to pass a time change bill making Daylight Saving Time permanent. He framed the fight as a push to end the twice-yearly switch and wrote that the measure should move through the US Senate.
The bill already cleared the US House in July by a 308-117 vote. Trump also called it the Sunshine Protection Act and the No More Changing of Clocks Act, and said it should pass “overwhelmingly, in a Bipartisan fashion.”
Tom Cotton and Arkansas
Trump singled out Cotton for holding up the legislation and urged Arkansas residents to pressure him. He wrote, “For some reason, Tom is stopping the Bill and, in the Senate, it’s very easy to do, it only takes one!”
In another post, Trump said Cotton would give Arkansas “an extra hour of daylight” if he were putting Arkansas first. He also wrote that nobody wants to spend time turning clocks back twice a year, and that sunshine in the afternoon is better than early in the morning.
Al Jazeera called the number listed in Trump’s post, and an automated message said the voicemail box was full. The post turned a routine legislative push into a direct pressure campaign aimed at one senator and the people he represents.
US Senate and the House
Trump has repeatedly pushed Senate Republicans to adopt year-round daylight saving time, and he added a letter from Brian Rolapp supporting the bill. In the same post, he wrote that the PGA TOUR needs more daylight in the afternoon to finish tournaments, and that regular golfers, tennis players, hunters and farmers want more daylight to play or work.
Cotton has already argued against the bill. In a Senate floor speech last year, he said farmers, construction workers, commuters and children heading to school would begin their days in the dark during the winter.
The clash leaves the Senate with the next move. The House has acted, the bill has a name and a path, and Trump is trying to turn public pressure into votes before Cotton’s objection can keep the clocks moving twice a year.
For readers, the practical outcome is simple: if the Senate advances the bill, Americans would stop changing clocks twice a year and keep Daylight Saving Time year-round. That is still a Senate decision, and Trump’s post shows he is betting pressure from Arkansas will help break the stall.
