US President Donald Trump has publicly clashed with fellow Republican Senator Tom Cotton over a proposal to keep daylight saving time in place throughout the year.
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The dispute took an unusual turn on Saturday when Trump posted what he said was Cotton’s cellphone number on social media and asked people in Arkansas to call the senator and pressure him to support the proposal.
The move came after Trump accused Cotton of holding up the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill that would stop Americans from changing their clocks twice a year.
What is Trump proposing
Under the current system, Americans move their clocks one hour forward in March and one hour back in November.
Moving the clock forward means sunrise and sunset appear one hour later on the clock. For example, if the sun would normally rise at 7 am and set at 6 pm, the clock change would make them appear as 8 am and 7 pm. This gives people more daylight in the evening.
Trump wants the March setting to remain in place throughout the year. That means Americans would not move their clocks back in November.
Trump has repeatedly criticised the twice-yearly clock change, calling it “ridiculous”. On Saturday, he said the practice “discombobulates everybody.”
The Sunshine Protection Act passed the House of Representatives in July by 308 votes to 117 but has remained stalled in the Senate.
