On a Saturday that saw the White House buzzing with a campaign rally in Ohio, President Donald Trump turned his attention to a seemingly unrelated issue: the nation’s clock. Using his social platform, he published what appeared to be Senator Tom Cotton’s personal cell number and urged every Arkansan to dial it, demanding the senator’s vote for the Sunshine Protection Act. The outreach was a direct appeal to push a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent eliminating the bi-annual clock changes that have long divided Americans.
Trump’s public push on the Sunshine Protection Act
Trump’s message framed the legislation as a boon for everyday life, even tossing in a nod to professional golfers who would enjoy longer evenings on the greens. He wrote, “So, everyone in Arkansas … tell Tom to, GET IT DONE! It will be appreciated by all.” He then added, “Call Tom on his cellphone,” attaching a number with an Arkansas area code. The Associated Press attempted to call the line but met a full voicemail box; The Guardian received a carrier notice that the wireless customer was unavailable. The president defended the stunt at the Ohio rally, claiming the twice-yearly clock shift “discombobulates everybody” and that a permanent schedule would simplify daily routines.
Cotton’s response and concerns
Senator Cotton, chair of the Senate intelligence committee and a member of Republican leadership, quickly rebuffed Trump’s plea in a Saturday afternoon post. He emphasized that Arkansas families would face “pitch-dark” winter mornings if the bill passed, recalling the 1974 experiment when children walked to school in the dark. Cotton warned that permanent daylight saving time would push sunrise in Seattle to about 9 a.m. and in Williston, North Dakota, to nearly 9:45 a.m, leaving Arkansans without sunrise until 8 a.m.–8:30 a.m. during the deepest winter. He concluded, “I’ll always put Arkansas first.”
Legislative background of the Sunshine Protection Act
The Sunshine Protection Act has a winding history. First introduced in 2018 by Senator Marco Rubio, it resurfaced in successive Congresses. In the Senate passed the measure by unanimous consent, though many senators later claimed they were unaware of the procedural request. The House, however, never voted on it, and the bill died at the end of that session. In the 119th Congress, Representative Vern Buchanan re-filed the proposal as H.R. 139, and on July 14, 2026 the House approved it with a 308–117 vote. The legislation would keep the nation on daylight saving time year-round, while allowing states to opt out by adopting permanent standard time before the law takes effect.
Public sentiment and past attempts
Public opinion has repeatedly tilted toward abandoning the clock-change ritual. A 2025 AP-NORC poll showed only 12 % of adults favor the current system, 47 % oppose it, and 40 % remain neutral. Separate surveys have found as much as 75 % of Americans desire a fixed schedule, with many preferring the extra evening daylight. Historical attempts illuminate the controversy: daylight saving time was first imposed nationally during World War II in 1942, repealed after the war, and briefly reinstated by the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act from January 1974 to October 1974, only to be scrapped amid concerns about children walking to school in darkness.
Opponents of the bill, including Cotton, argue that a permanent shift would jeopardize morning safety, especially for schoolchildren and commuters, and cite research linking darker mornings to higher rates of traffic incidents and health issues. Proponents counter that longer evenings could reduce crime, boost outdoor recreation, and alleviate seasonal depression. The debate therefore hinges on whether the nation values brighter mornings or later sunsets, a question that has persisted since the Uniform Time Act of 1966 standardized the start and end dates of daylight saving time.
As the Senate deliberates, the political theatre continues. Trump’s unorthodox tactic of posting a senator’s cellphone number echoes a 2016 incident in which he released Senator Lindsey Graham’s number after a personal feud. While Graham later aligned with Trump, the episode underscored the president’s willingness to bypass traditional lobbying channels. Whether this public pressure will sway Cotton—or any other holdout—remains uncertain, but the episode highlights the increasingly personal nature of modern legislative battles.
