Former President Donald Trump posted what appeared to be Sen. Tom Cotton’s personal cell number on Truth Social as he amped up pressure on the Senate to advance the daylight saving time bill.
Trump, who called Cotton a friend, criticized the Arkansas Republican for blocking the Sunshine Protection Act from getting a vote last October, and urged Arkansans to push him to act. In the post, Trump said the measure should clear the Senate with broad bipartisan support and encouraged people in the state to tell Cotton to “get it done.”
Daylight saving time bill stalls in the Senate
The Truth Social message landed while the Senate is out until Nov. 3, which means no vote can occur until after the midterm elections. The House passed its version of the daylight saving time bill in July on a 308–117 vote, drawing support from both parties. The House measure was sent to a Senate committee, where it has not moved.
Trump has been a prominent backer of ending the twice-yearly clock change, arguing that permanent daylight saving could reduce crime, traffic crashes, and certain health risks, among other claimed benefits tied to later evening light. Despite bipartisan interest, the bill’s lack of progress marks another setback for Trump, who has prioritized the effort but has not secured it into law.
Debate over permanent time change continues
Hours after Trump criticized Cotton for rejecting a bipartisan unanimous consent request by Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama to advance the Senate bill last fall, Cotton reiterated his opposition to permanent daylight saving time. He posted on X that while he dislikes changing clocks, Congress has adopted permanent daylight saving before and later reversed course after winter brought very late sunrises.
Cotton said Arkansans do not want children heading to school in the dark and that he would prioritize his state’s concerns. Trump recently returned to the campaign trail, including when he stumped in Texas before rallying supporters in Oklahoma, underscoring how closely he is tying himself to the daylight saving time debate.
This is not the first time Trump has publicized a lawmaker’s cellphone number. In 2015, during his presidential campaign, he shared then-Sen. Lindsey Graham’s number at a rally in South Carolina after Graham criticized him earlier that day.
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