WASHINGTON — President Trump said Friday that a lone Senate Republican is blocking Americans from gaining an extra hour of daylight on winter evenings — as he ratcheted up pressure on senators to pass his plan for permanent daylight saving time.
“Unfortunately, it’s being held up by Senator Tom Cotton, of Arkansas, for reasons unknown. People are sick and tired of having to change their Clocks twice a year,” Trump wrote in a sprawling after-midnight post on Truth Social.
“The House has passed this Bill, 308-117, on July 14, 2026, with Great Bipartisan support. Both Democrats and Republicans want it to happen. It’s now up to the U.S. Senate where it would be another Great Bipartisan Victory.”
The Senate adjourned Wednesday and is not expected to return until after the Nov. 3 midterm election, guaranteeing that millions of Americans will have to make their clocks “fall back” on the morning of Nov. 1.
Permanent daylight saving time would mean more sun in the afternoon and evening hours
Under the current system, the sun sets as early as 4:31 p.m. in New York City and 4:49 p.m. in DC on the winter solstice, which falls this year on Monday, Dec. 21.
Trump, a well-known night owl, made permanent daylight saving time part of his 2024 campaign platform.
His identification of Cotton (R-Ark.) as the man responsible for holding up the reform is likely to unleash a wave of angry phone calls to the Republican’s office — something that can sway lawmakers to change their mind.
Last year, the 49-year-old declared he would “always oppose” the reform, citing the chaos unleashed by Congress making daylight time year-round to save energy in 1974 during a oil import crisis.
His opposition prevents unanimous consent to the bill creating permanent daylight saving time, meaning that the measure would have to pass committee, earn 60 supporters to break a filibuster, and then pass in a recorded vote.
“For many Arkansans, permanent Daylight Savings Time would mean the sun wouldn’t rise until after 8:00 or even 8:30 a.m. during the dead of winter. Three months out of the year, kids in towns like Bentonville, Fayetteville, and Fort Smith would start school ahead of the sun,” Cotton said.
“Meanwhile, construction workers, farmers, and others who rise before the sun or need the sun to work would be penalized. These workers might go three, four, even five hours in the morning without seeing the sun, which would hurt their quality of life and potentially their safety in the workplace.”
Cotton allowed that “clock changes can be bad for health, but the best evidence suggests that the natural rhythms of our internal body clocks align more closely with Standard Time than Daylight Savings Time.”
Trump’s social media post putting Cotton in the hot seat gave an exhaustive counter-argument.
“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, a ridiculous Clock changing process that takes place twice a year, costs our Country a fortune, is bad for Crime, stress on people, Sports, and just about everything else you can imagine,” Trump wrote.
“Even the highly respected PGA Commissioner, Brian Rolapp, needs it for the completion of Golf Tournaments in the Winter, when they just plain run out of sunlight. People don’t want to go around changing their Clocks anymore and, besides, far and away, most people like having an hour of extra sunlight in the evening, rather than in the morning.”
Trump added: “Even most farmers would rather have additional time in the evening to harvest their crops. It is foolish, inconvenient and, in some cases, very costly. For Cities and States with Watchtowers, and hard to reach places, it costs Millions of Dollars. A recent case was made that it is also bad for your health in the anxiety it creates.
“Leading Medical, Crime, and Economic Studies have shown, conclusively, that ceasing the biannual time change, giving us one extra hour of natural sunlight in the evenings, will help Decrease Robbery and Murder Rates, Reduce Car Accidents (especially those involving Pedestrians!), Lower Risk for Cardiac Issues, Stroke, and Seasonal Depression, Make It Safer for Children to Walk Home from School, Increase Time with your Family, Strongly Support Extracurricular Activities, Boost the Sports, Fitness, Tourism, Retail, and Restaurant Industries (and more!), and Save Money on Energy Bills, because everyone will be enjoying an EXTRA HOUR OF DAYLIGHT.
“In other words, leave it as it is now, and never change it again. But importantly, with a 100% approval rating, is that NOBODY wants to change their Clocks twice a year. This is an issue that Republicans, Democrats, and Independents can unite behind!”
