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President Donald Trump posted Sen. Tom Cotton’s cellphone number on Truth Social while urging Arkansans to pressure the Republican to support permanent daylight saving time. Cotton said he opposes changing the current system, and the Senate has not advanced the bill; a House version passed 308-117 over the summer.
President Donald Trump posted Sen. Tom Cotton’s cellphone number on Truth Social on Saturday and urged Arkansans to call the Republican over his opposition to legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent. The move escalated a public dispute over a bill that has passed the House but has not advanced in the Senate.
Trump accused Cotton of holding up the Sunshine Protection Act, which would keep the United States on daylight saving time year-round. In his post, Trump described Cotton as a friend and called the measure a potential bipartisan win, then included the senator’s phone number and asked Arkansas residents to contact him. CNN reported that Cotton’s voicemail was full when it called the number; a later call rang before an automated message said the wireless customer was unavailable. CNN said it had contacted Cotton’s office for comment.
Cotton responded on X that he opposed changing the current arrangement. He said Congress had previously enacted permanent daylight saving time and later repealed it after people experienced very late winter sunrises. Cotton argued that children in Arkansas should not have to go to school in darkness and said he would put the state first.
Trump replied on Truth Social, arguing that year-round daylight saving time would give people more daylight and eliminate the twice-yearly clock changes. He attached a letter from PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp expressing the tour’s support for the legislation. Asked by CNN why he had posted Cotton’s number, Trump did not answer directly and repeated his criticism of clock changes, saying they leave people disoriented and late.
A Senate Standoff Goes Public
The dispute puts a personal-pressure tactic alongside a policy debate that has stalled in Congress. By publishing the senator’s number and calling on constituents to contact him, Trump directed attention at Cotton as an obstacle to legislation, rather than limiting his criticism to the Senate’s lack of action. The immediate response to the post, including the volume of calls or any effect on Cotton’s office, has not been reported.
The question affects more than the inconvenience of resetting clocks. Supporters of permanent daylight saving time argue that it would end the twice-yearly change and could benefit daily routines. Opponents, including Cotton, point to darker winter mornings. If daylight saving time applied year-round, the sun could rise after 8 a.m. in several major U.S. cities during winter. The debate concerns how daylight is distributed across the day as well as whether the clock should change.
Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro told CNN that publishing the number could put Cotton at risk. He cited possible hacking by foreign governments or other actors, but the source report does not establish that Cotton’s device was hacked or that a specific threat followed Trump’s post.
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The Bill and Earlier Objections
The House passed a measure for year-round daylight saving time by a 308-117 vote over the summer. The Senate has not moved on the issue since, leaving the proposal without approval from both chambers. The bill’s House passage does not mean the change has become law.
Cotton objected in 2025 when a bipartisan group of senators sought unanimous consent to pass a similar measure. He has maintained that permanent daylight saving time would create very late winter sunrises. Trump has criticized the twice-yearly clock change for years, though his position on whether the country should use standard time or daylight saving time throughout the year has shifted, according to CNN.
Trump has previously disclosed a sitting senator’s personal number in public: during the 2016 Republican presidential primary, he read Sen. Lindsey Graham’s cellphone number to a rally crowd. The episode provides precedent for the tactic but does not establish what consequences, if any, will follow the latest post.
“Arkansans don’t want their kids going to school in the pitch dark, and I’ll always put Arkansas first.”
— Tom Cotton, on X
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Calls, Security and Senate Action
It is not clear how many people contacted Cotton after Trump’s post, whether the senator’s office experienced disruption, or whether the number remains in use. CNN’s calls found the voicemail full and later reached an automated message, but those observations do not establish the cause. Castro’s warning about hacking was a stated concern, not a report that Cotton’s phone had been compromised.
The Senate’s next steps are also unknown. The source report does not say whether Senate leaders plan to schedule the legislation, whether Cotton would consider a different version, or whether the House measure will receive a vote. The practical effect of Trump’s public pressure on the bill has not been established.
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The Senate’s Next Move
The proposal would need Senate action before it could become law. No vote or timetable was reported as of Saturday, and the House’s 308-117 approval alone does not change the current clock system. Any further movement will depend on whether the Senate takes up the measure and how lawmakers address objections about dark winter mornings.
Trump’s comments and Cotton’s response leave the disagreement in public, but neither statement changes the legislation’s status. The immediate developments to watch are whether Cotton’s office responds, whether the senator’s contact details remain accessible, and whether Senate lawmakers take a procedural step on the bill.
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Key Questions
What did Trump post?
Trump posted Sen. Tom Cotton’s cellphone number on Truth Social and urged people in Arkansas to contact him about legislation for permanent daylight saving time.
Why does Cotton oppose the bill?
Cotton said year-round daylight saving time could mean very late winter sunrises, including children going to school in darkness. He also cited earlier congressional changes that were later repealed.
Has the bill become law?
No. The House passed a version by 308-117 over the summer, but the Senate has not advanced the issue, according to the report.
Was Cotton’s phone hacked?
The report does not say that Cotton’s phone was hacked. Rep. Joaquin Castro warned that publishing the number could create a security risk, but no compromise was confirmed.
Source: fediverse
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