President Donald Trump publicly criticized Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on Saturday, October 3, 2026, over the senator’s opposition to legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent. During the morning, Trump used social media to post what appeared to be Cotton's personal cellphone number, encouraging supporters in Arkansas to call the senator and urge him to support the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025.
The disagreement centers on the Sunshine Protection Act, which would end the twice-yearly practice of changing clocks by making daylight saving time the year-round standard. The House of Representatives passed the bill in July 2026 with a bipartisan vote of 308 to 117. However, the legislation has remained stalled in the Senate since that time, where Cotton and several other Republican senators have expressed reservations about its effects on morning sunlight.
Cotton responded to the president's posts on Saturday afternoon by reiterating his concerns that permanent daylight saving time would result in "absurdly late sunrises" during the winter. He stated that residents of Arkansas do not want children traveling to school in the "pitch dark" and noted that Congress has attempted permanent daylight saving time in the past, only to repeal it later. Trump countered by calling Cotton's stance "ego" driven and argued that permanent daylight would reduce crime and benefit outdoor industries such as golf.
The move toward permanent daylight saving time is supported by various commercial interests, including the PGA Tour, which told the White House that additional afternoon light is necessary for completing professional tournaments. However, the opposition from Cotton and other lawmakers like Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) indicates a lack of consensus within the Republican party. Critics of the bill, including parents and school safety advocates, express concern that dark mornings increase the risk of accidents for students waiting at bus stops or walking to school.
Under the proposed legislation, individual states would have the right to opt out of the change if their respective legislatures act before the bill is enacted. This follows a historical precedent from 1942 and a similar Senate-led effort four years ago that failed to pass the House. For now, the bill remains in the Senate without a scheduled vote. The public release of a senator's personal phone number by a sitting president marks a significant shift in intra-party communication, repeating a tactic Trump previously used against the late Sen. Lindsey Graham in 2016.