Trump Criticizes Tom Cotton Over Daylight Savings Act

In Washington, President Trump recently took to social media to express his frustration with Senator Tom Cotton, a fellow Republican from Arkansas, after Cotton stood in opposition to the Sunshine Protection Act—legislation aimed at making daylight savings time a permanent fixture in the U.S. In a tweet, Trump referred to Cotton as “a friend” but didn’t hold back in criticizing him for his role as the primary obstacle to the bill’s progress.

Trump’s post on Truth Social called out Cotton, stating, “For some reason, Tom is stopping the Bill,” emphasizing that it only takes one senator to block its passage. He urged Arkansans to contact Cotton directly, going so far as to share Cotton’s personal cellphone number with the public. “So, everyone in Arkansas, a State I love, and won 3 times, the last by 34 points, tell Tom to, GET IT DONE!” he wrote.

This isn’t the first time Trump has publicly shared a politician’s personal information. In 2015, he released the cellphone number of the late Senator Lindsey Graham during their contentious GOP primary battle.

The Sunshine Protection Act was approved by the House with a significant majority, yet it remains stalled in the Senate, where it faces the challenge of gathering enough votes to overcome a filibuster. Cotton, who is gearing up for reelection on November 3, did not seem shaken by Trump’s outburst. He took to the platform X, mentioning, “No one likes changing the clock, me included,” but pointed out that Congress has previously enacted permanent daylight savings time and rescinded it after realizing the consequences of extremely late sunrises during winter.

He continued, stating, “Arkansans don’t want their kids going to school in the pitch dark, and I’ll always put Arkansas first.”

The U.S. did try a permanent daylight savings time in the 1970s but eventually reverted back to the biannual clock changes. Recently, though, there has been a surge of interest in making daylight savings permanent.

Cotton is particularly concerned about the impact of darker mornings on children waiting for school buses during winter. Trump has been increasingly vocal about his desire to see this bill succeed, putting the spotlight on Cotton’s opposition. “Nobody wants to spend their precious time running all over the place, turning Clocks back twice a year, and having sunshine in the afternoon is better than early in the morning!” he expressed.

In summary, as debates about daylight savings legislation play out, Cotton remains steadfast in his position while Trump pushes for change, signaling ongoing tensions within the GOP.