Trump posts Republican senator's cellphone number in daylight saving bill dispute
In short
US President Donald Trump posted on social media on October 3 what he said was the cellphone number of Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, accusing him of blocking a bill to make daylight saving time permanent, and urged Arkansas residents to call him. Cotton responded on X that while he dislikes the clock change, he does not want children going to school in the dark. Sankei Shimbun noted Trump made public a rival senator's phone number during the 2016 Republican primary campaign as well.
Why it matters
The episode shows a US president pressuring a senator of his own party over legislation by directing voters to his personal contact details, which puts the fate of the daylight saving bill in question. The documents do not indicate whether the bill advanced or whether Cotton changed position, so the practical consequences remain unstated.
Key facts
- Trump posted what he said was the cellphone number of Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas on social media on October 3. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Trump accused Cotton of blocking a bill to make daylight saving time permanent and called on Arkansas residents to phone him. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Cotton said on X that he disliked the clock change but did not want children to go to school in the dark. [ 1 ]
- Trump argues year-round daylight saving time would let people use evening daylight in winter and said the golf industry supports it. [ 1 ]
- Under current practice, most of the US moves clocks forward on the second Sunday of March and back on the first Sunday of November. [ 1 ]
- Sankei Shimbun reported Trump also made public the phone number of the late Senator Gramm, a rival in the 2016 Republican primary contest, during a speech. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether the number Trump published was in fact Cotton's personal cellphone. TBS NEWS DIG describes it as the number "said to be" the senator's, and the other documents do not say how it was verified.
- Trump's earlier publication of the late Senator Gramm's phone number during the 2016 Republican primary. Only Sankei Shimbun reports this background detail.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Trump posts what he says is Senator Tom Cotton's cellphone number on social media and calls on Arkansas residents to phone him over the daylight saving bill. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Sankei Shimbun publishes its report, including Cotton's reply on X and the 2016 precedent. [ 1 ]
- TBS NEWS DIG publishes a summary of the president's post and his call to voters. [ 2 ]
- Yahoo! News Japan carries a CNN report on the same episode. [ 3 ]