ARKANSAS — President Donald Trump posted what appeared to be Senator Tom Cotton's personal cellphone number on Truth Social on Saturday. Trump urged residents of Arkansas to call the posted number to pressure Senator Cotton to support the Sunshine Protection Act.

The phone number included in Trump's post had an Arkansas area code. Media outlets called the number and reported varying responses regarding its availability.

"Everybody in Arkansas, Tom Cotton, a friend of mine, is holding up a very important Bill," Trump wrote. "It’s called, ‘The Sunshine Protection Act’ or, ‘We Don’t Want to Change Our Clocks Twice a Year Act.'" He added that Cotton was stopping the legislation despite it having bipartisan support. "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." Trump continued by asking citizens to contact the senator directly.

"To the Great People of Arkansas, please let your Senator know it would be a GREAT Bipartisan WIN for the United States Senate, and for America, itself. Call Tom on his cellphone.. and let him know." He argued that supporting the bill would benefit the state. "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." Earlier, Trump had called for legislative action. Republicans in the Senate have to get moving on what I call the ‘No More Changing of Clocks Act,’ officially known as The Sunshine Protection Act." Following his 2024 election, President Donald Trump pledged to make eliminating the need to change clocks twice a year a key part of his policy agenda, stating that daylight saving time is 'inconvenient and very costly to our Nation.'"

Cotton responded to the publication of his contact information by outlining his opposition to the measure. "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changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Savings Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter," Cotton wrote on X. "Arkansans don’t want their kids going to school in the pitch dark, and I’ll always put Arkansas first." He stated that permanent daylight saving time would result in winter sunrises as late as 8:00 AM or 8:30 AM in Arkansas. He also noted that such a schedule would push winter sunrises as late as 9:00 AM in Seattle and nearly 9:45 AM in Williston, North Dakota.

In a 2025 floor speech, he explicitly stated that permanent daylight saving time would push winter sunrises in Arkansas to as late as 8:00 AM or 8:30 AM, citing negative impacts on public safety and well-being. In a 2025 floor speech, he cited the 1970s reversal of permanent daylight saving time as a precedent for opposing the Sunshine Protection Act, arguing that public opposition to late winter sunrises led to its repeal. He cited the 1970s as a historical precedent for permanent daylight saving time, noting that Congress implemented it during that decade but reversed the decision after public opposition over late winter sunrises.

Cotton is a Republican Senator from Arkansas who serves as the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He opposes the Sunshine Protection Act. The Sunshine Protection Act would make daylight saving time permanent nationwide.

If enacted, the Sunshine Protection Act would end clock changes starting in 2027. Under the Sunshine Protection Act, states can opt out of permanent daylight saving time if their legislatures act to do so before enactment. The House of Representatives passed the Sunshine Protection Act in July with a vote of 308 to 117. The Senate has not yet taken up the Sunshine Protection Act, and no specific decision date has been scheduled. Senator John Kennedy stated that the Sunshine Protection Act is unlikely to pass before the November midterm elections. Brian Rolapp, CEO of the PGA Tour, supports the Sunshine Protection Act.

The 2022 version of the Sunshine Protection Act stalled in the House of Representatives. The 2022 version of the Sunshine Protection Act was co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of senators, including Republicans James Lankford, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Rick Scott, Tommy Tuberville, and Democrats Ron Wyden and Ed Markey. The 2022 version of the Sunshine Protection Act, co-sponsored by 10 bipartisan senators including Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rick Scott (R-FL), passed the Senate but failed to advance in the House due to procedural delays.

In 2022, the Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act by unanimous consent, although several senators stated later that they would have objected if they had known the bill could pass. In 2016, Trump released Senator Lindsey Graham's personal cellphone number after Graham criticized him. President Trump previously released Senator Lindsey Graham’s personal cellphone number during the 2016 presidential campaign after Graham criticized him, a pattern that mirrors his 2026 action targeting Cotton. Lindsey Graham died in July 2026. Daylight saving time was first adopted in the United States as a wartime measure in 1942.

Why It Matters

The publication of a senator's personal contact information by the president represents a direct effort to influence legislative outcomes through public pressure. The Sunshine Protection Act has seen previous legislative activity, with the Senate passing a version in 2022 before it stalled in the House. The current House passage with a 308 to 117 vote indicates significant support, but the Senate has not yet scheduled consideration. The debate centers on the trade-offs between permanent daylight saving time and standard time, with opponents citing safety concerns related to late winter sunrises.

Timeline

Congress instituted permanent daylight saving time in the 1970s but reversed the decision after public opposition.

In the 21st century, the nature of conflicts has changed into non-conventional warfare. The conflict between Saudi Arabia and Qat. Trump was elected to a second term in 2024.

What's New

The House of Representatives passed the Sunshine Protection Act in July with a 308 to 117 vote. The House of Representatives passed the Sunshine Protection Act with a 308 to 117 vote.