Donald Trump shares Senator Tom Cotton’s phone number on Truth Social

The Sunshine Protection Act Stall in the Senate

“To the great people of Arkansas, please let your Senator know that this would be a great victory for the United States,” Trump wrote, according to bnr.nl, before publishing phone numbers that included a regional Arkansas prefix. Journalists who dialed the number heard an automated carrier message stating the subscriber was temporarily unavailable, as noted by nos.nl. Cotton’s office declined to comment on the incident.

Tom Cotton’s Defense of Standard Time

Senator Cotton defended his opposition by citing historical precedent and public safety concerns for children. “Nobody likes changing the clock, I certainly don’t, but Congress has tried permanent daylight saving time before and repealed it each time because Americans faced absurdly late winter sunrises,” Cotton posted on social media, as cited by bnr.nl. The United States previously tested permanent daylight saving time in 1974 during the energy crisis, but repealed the measure within a year following widespread complaints from parents whose children walked to school in pitch darkness, according to reporting from nos.nl. Cotton reiterated that his constituents in Arkansas do not want children traveling to school in the dark.

Golf Leaders Project Millions of Extra Rounds

To bolster the argument for reform, Trump included a letter from PGA Tour topman Brian Rolapp in his social media post. Rolapp argued that an extra hour of evening daylight would generate 23 million additional rounds of golf per year, according to bnr.nl. Additional reporting from vrt.be highlighted broader lifestyle factors, noting that while permanent daylight saving time benefits evening sports and social activities, sleep scientists warn that standard time aligns much closer to the human biological clock. The body requires morning sunlight to synchronize circadian rhythms, meaning permanent summer hours would force late winter sunrises near 9:45 a.m., potentially increasing sleep deprivation among students and workers, as detailed by vrt.be.

Historical Precedent of Phone Leaks

The tactic of publishing a political rival’s personal contact details mirrors a past campaign dispute. During the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, Trump similarly read out the personal phone number of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham from the stage, as reported by nos.nl. At Graham’s funeral in July, Trump acknowledged that disclosing the number was a mistake before reciting the digits to the audience again, according to nos.nl. With the Senate having departed Washington without plans to return before the November 3 midterms—a stalemate described by Republican Senator John Kennedy to Reuters as being “as dead as disco”—the fate of the permanent clock change remains unresolved as lawmakers leave the capital.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Senate Clock Dispute