Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) isn’t backing down after President Donald Trump publicly targeted him over permanent daylight saving time. Trump even posted what appeared to be Cotton’s personal cell phone number.
“For some reason, Tom is stopping the Bill and, in the Senate, it’s very easy to do, it only takes one!” Trump wrote, according to the Associated Press. “If Tom Cotton were putting Arkansas first, he would give them an extra hour of daylight.”
Trump told his followers to call Cotton and “tell Tom to, GET IT DONE!” His post included what appeared to be Cotton’s personal cellphone number, with an Arkansas area code, the AP reported. Trump did the same thing to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) during the 2016 campaign.
“No one likes changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Savings Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter,” Cotton wrote on X Saturday in his first response.
“Arkansans don’t want their kids going to school in the pitch dark, and I’ll always put Arkansas first,” he added.
That last line was aimed at Trump. A day earlier, the president blamed Cotton for blocking the Sunshine Protection Act, which passed the House in July and would make daylight saving time permanent.
Cotton chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee and is one of the most senior Republicans in the chamber. He’s also usually a loyal Trump ally.
Cotton’s history lesson is accurate. Congress put the country on year-round daylight saving time in 1974 during the energy crisis. It reversed course within a year, after dark winter mornings set off a public backlash, including concerns about children waiting for school buses before sunrise.
Cotton’s post had more than 150,000 views within hours.
No one likes changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Savings Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter. Arkansans don’t want their kids going to school in the pitch… — Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) October 3, 2026
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