Trump shares Republican senator's phone number in feud over daylight saving bill

Trump shares Republican senator's phone number in feud over daylight saving bill.

Key points

• Trump's post on Truth Social pressed residents to call a phone number that he noted belonged to Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican.
• The US House of Representatives passed the bill in July, but Cotton is not alone in the Senate.
• US President Donald Trump on Saturday posted the supposed phone number of a Republican US senator online, escalating a feud over daylight saving time.
• "Everybody in Arkansas, Tom Cotton, a friend of mine, is holding up a very important bill, " Trump wrote.
• The intra-party dispute comes as Trump campaigns for Republicans nationwide, including in Ohio on Saturday.

Trump shares Republican senator's phone number in feud over daylight saving bill. Reuters Published October 3, 2026 Updated October 3, 2026 10: 31pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

Notably, the dispute centres on the Sunshine Protection Act. It would create daylight saving time permanent and end the twice-yearly practice of changing clocks by one hour.

Trump notes most Americans want more afternoon sunlight, but Cotton has argued the change would plunge early risers into darkness during winter months.

When Reuters called the Arkansas number, it went directly to a voicemail box that did not identify itself as belonging to Cotton.

It's the president's second posting in as plenty of days concerning Cotton's opposition to the bill.

"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!" Trump wrote.

Most US states have observed the time switch since the 1960s. Clocks this year are slated to switch back to standard time on November 1.

In a Senate speech last October, Cotton remarked he would "always oppose" making daylight saving time permanent, adding that it would "again make winter a dark and dismal time for millions of Americans".

Meanwhile, the US House of Representatives passed the bill in July, but Cotton is not alone in the Senate. Senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, this week called the bill "dead as disco" and remarked he did not think that Senate Majority Leader John Thune would bring the measure for a vote.

Notably, the offices of Cotton and Thune did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Saturday. Golfers, farmers cited as supporters.

For context, the first constituency that Trump cited as wanting the change was golfers. The president shared an October 1 letter from PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp supporting the bill.

"The PGA Tour, as an example, needs more daylight in the afternoon in order to finish their Tournaments, " remarked Trump, who often spends weekends at his golf clubs around the country.

He additionally pointed to tennis players, hunters and farmers as proponents of year-round daylight saving time.

This is not the first time Trump has shared a senator's phone number to create a point. During his first presidential campaign in 2015, Trump read Senator Lindsey Graham's phone number at a rally and dismissed the South Carolina Republican as an "idiot".

They afterwards reconciled, with the late Graham becoming one of Trump's highest-profile allies in Congress.

Meanwhile, the intra-party dispute comes as Trump campaigns for Republicans nationwide, including in Ohio on Saturday. As Trump received more than 64 per cent of the Arkansas vote in the 2024 presidential election, cotton is running for re-election, but his race is not considered competitive.

Taken together, the developments around trump shares Republican senator' s phone number in feud over daylight saving bill point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.