President Donald Trump said on Sunday that golf is the real reason behind his push to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, laying out the rationale in a long Truth Social post in which he also published what he asserted is the personal cellphone number of Sen. Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas.

"Everybody in Arkansas, [Senator] Tom Cotton (R-AK), a friend of mine, is holding up a very important Bill," the president wrote. "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!"

The Sunshine Protection Act is a measure that has circulated on Capitol Hill for several Congresses: a Senate version passed the chamber by unanimous consent in 2022, stalled in the House, and was reintroduced without becoming law. Trump's claim that blocking the bill "only takes one" reflects Senate practice, under which a single senator can place a hold that prevents quick passage by unanimous consent, though a hold cannot stop Senate leadership from scheduling a formal floor vote. And because federal law allows states to stay on standard time year-round, as Arizona and Hawaii do, but does not permit them to adopt permanent daylight saving time on their own, any "lock the clock" plan requires an act of Congress.

In the same post, Trump laid out the reasoning behind the measure he wants signed into law.

"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."

Trump continued: "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, ' 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 post then listed the number Trump presented as Cotton's own.

The publication of the number drew immediate attention on social media and, apparently, calls from people eager to reach the senator. Senators typically route constituent calls to their official office lines in Washington and in their home state, rather than to personal cellphones. Sam Stein, a writer for The Bulwark, Politico and the Daily Beast, said Cotton's voicemail was already full and closed to new messages by the time he tried the number on Saturday morning.

"The mailbox is, shockingly, full and there is not enough space to leave a message. Got to it too late," Stein wrote in a post on X.

With Cotton running for re-election, critics on X noted that the senator will have "a serious problem" changing his number.

Despite Trump's assertion that "almost everybody" supports the legislation, the proposal has drawn significant opposition. Critics have pointed out that, under the change, the West Coast would not see the sunrise until after 9 a.m. in the winter. The country has tested the idea before: the United States adopted year-round daylight saving time in January 1974 amid an energy crisis and reversed course later that same year amid complaints about dark winter mornings. Researchers have also documented numerous downsides to the shift, from increased health issues such as stroke, heart attack and seasonal affective disorder to economic harm and possible increases in crime and reductions in safety, concerns flagged in published research.

Trump's post made no mention of these risks, focusing instead on golf. The president owns 10 golf courses in the United States that would be affected by the change.