President Donald Trump posted the personal cellphone number of Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) on Truth Social on Saturday, October 3, 2026. The president urged residents of Arkansas to contact the senator to express support for the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill intended to make Daylight Saving Time permanent across the United States. Trump stated that Cotton was "holding up" the legislation and characterized the bill as a bipartisan opportunity for the country.
The public disagreement follows a summer vote in the House of Representatives where members passed a version of the measure 308 to 117. While the House showed support for ending the semiannual clock change, the Senate has not moved on the issue. Cotton has previously voiced opposition to permanent Daylight Saving Time, citing concerns about late winter sunrises. In 2025, he objected to a bipartisan attempt to pass a similar measure by unanimous consent, a procedure that allows for immediate passage if no senator objects.
Following Trump's post, Cotton responded on X, formerly Twitter, stating that Congress has attempted permanent Daylight Saving Time before but repealed it due to "absurdly late sunrises." He argued that Arkansas parents do not want children traveling to school in the dark. Trump later posted a letter from PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp expressing support for the act. When asked at the White House why he shared the senator's number, Trump declined to answer directly, stating that changing clocks "discombobulates everybody."
The disclosure of a senator's personal contact information also raises questions regarding digital security. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, stated that sharing a personal number could expose a lawmaker to hacking by foreign state actors or non-state entities. This is not the first time Trump has used this tactic; he previously read out the personal cellphone number of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) during a 2015 campaign event.
The immediate result of the disclosure was the overcrowding of Cotton's communication channels. When tested by reporters on Saturday, Cotton’s voicemail was full, and subsequent calls were directed to an automated message stating the user was unavailable. While the House passed the bill in July 2026, the Senate has no current scheduled vote on the Sunshine Protection Act. The next major transition for the current clock system is not specified in the reports, but Trump noted he was preparing to attend a Republican midterm election rally in Ohio following his comments.