'So disrespectful': This Trump proposal could throw 1.4 million people out of their homes
On Sunday, in a long, rambling Truth Social post, President Donald Trump revealed the real reason he's been pushing for permanent Daylight Saving Time. Unsurprisingly, it's for the benefit of golf. What's more, in the same post, he doxxed a Republican senator by revealing his personal cell phone number.
"Everybody in Arkansas, [Senator] Tom Cotton (R-AK), a friend of mine, is holding up a very important Bill," posted the president. "It’s called, 'The Sunshine Protection Act' or, 'We Don’t Want to Change Our Clocks Twice a Year Act.' For some reason, Tom is stopping the Bill and, in the Senate, it’s very easy to do, it only takes one! It should pass overwhelmingly, in a Bipartisan fashion. So, everyone in Arkansas, a State I love, and won 3 times, the last by by 34 points, tell Tom to, GET IT DONE! It will be appreciated by all. 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!"
Here Trump tipped his hand, revealing his actual justification for the bill: "The PGA TOUR, as an example, needs more Daylight in the afternoon in order to finish their Tournaments. Likewise, regular Golfers, Tennis Players, Hunters and, perhaps most importantly, Farmers who want more Daylight to play or work. See letter from Brian Rolapp, CEO of the PGA TOUR below. 65 percent PLUS want more sun in the afternoon, Daylight Saving Time (The way it is now!), but 100 percent don’t want to change their Clocks twice a year. They want to, as they say, 'LOCK THE CLOCK!' Who doesn’t? It’s very expensive for our Nation where you have high and dangerous steeples to reach, like on churches and municipal buildings. Almost everybody wants 'The Sunshine Protection Act' to pass, except for Tom Cotton. To the Great People of Arkansas, please let your Senator know it would be a GREAT Bipartisan WIN for the United States Senate, and for America, itself. Call Tom on his cellphone..." The president went on to reveal what he asserts is Cotton's actual phone number.
The president's doxxing of Cotton was an immediate hit on social media -- and apparently with people eager to speak with the senator. Bulwark, Politico and Daily Beast writer Sam Stein noted that Cotton's voicemail was already filled and closed by the time he'd tried the number Saturday morning.
"The mailbox is, shockingly, full and there is not enough space to leave a message. Got to it too late," Stein posted on X.
With Cotton running for re-election, other critics on X noted Cotton will have "a serious problem" changing his number.
Despite Trump's claim that "almost everyone" wants permanent Daylight Saving Time, many have said otherwise. As critics have noted, in the winter, the West Coast wouldn't see the sunrise until after 9 am. What's more, researchers have established numerous downsides to the change, from increased health issues like stroke, heart attack, and seasonal affective disorder, to economic harm, to possible increases in crime and reductions in safety.
But the president's post mentioned none of these risks, instead focusing on golf. Trump owns 10 golf courses in the U.S. that would be affected by the change.