Trump Posts Senator Cotton's Cellphone Number Amid Daylight Saving Spat
The president urged Arkansas voters to pressure their senator on permanent Daylight Saving Time — and shared his personal number doing it.
President Donald Trump on Saturday posted Senator Tom Cotton's personal cellphone number on Truth Social, urging Arkansans to call the Republican lawmaker and demand he support making Daylight Saving Time permanent.
Cotton's voicemail box was full when CNN reached the number. A call later reached an automated message saying the "wireless customer" was not available. Cotton responded on X, writing: "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changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Savings Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter.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 dark, and I'll always put Arkansas first."
The confrontation stems from a House bill passed over the summer — 308 to 117 — that would establish year-round Daylight Saving Time. The Senate has not acted on the measure. Cotton has previously objected to bipartisan efforts to pass similar legislation.
Trump doubled down, accusing Cotton of obstruction and attaching a letter from PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp expressing "strong support for the Sunshine Protection Act." Asked by CNN on Saturday why he shared the senator's number, Trump declined to answer directly, instead criticizing the semiannual clock change, saying it "discombobulates everybody."
Democratic Representative Joaquin Castro, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN the act put Cotton "at risk of harm," noting that a personal cell number is a vector for potential hacking by hostile actors. "Really, all they need is your number," Castro said.
This is not the first time Trump has publicly shared a sitting senator's personal number. During the 2016 Republican primary, he read out Lindsey Graham's cellphone number at a campaign rally.
Proponents of permanent Daylight Saving Time argue it eliminates the disruption of biannual clock changes, which affect sleep schedules and have been linked to seasonal depression. Critics note that year-round DST would mean sunrise after 8 a.m. in several major U.S. cities during winter months, with potential economic consequences for agriculture and morning commutes.
Reporting by CNN. Read the original report: Trump posts GOP lawmaker's phone number amid spat over Daylight Saving Time.
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