President Donald Trump has self-soothed after a blow to his $1.8 billion slush fund by attempting to control Americans’ access to the sun.
Trump, who turns 80 next month, was reportedly infuriated on Thursday after rogue Republicans voted to freeze ICE funding in a protest over his “anti-weaponization” vengeance fund.
The president instead celebrated the success of the Sunshine Protection Act, which would see states adopt year-round daylight saving time rather than changing clocks twice a year.
Supporters of the concept argue that an extra hour of daylight in the evening could boost economic activity and improve safety, with claims that traffic fatalities rise the week after clocks change.
In a giddy Truth Social post on Thursday evening, Trump boasted that the House Energy and Commerce Committee had voted 48 to one on the clock-fiddling bill.
The provision has been included as part of the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act, which is now under consideration in the U.S. House.
Today, 48 states and Washington, D.C., observe daylight saving time. Only Arizona and Hawaii, who stay on standard time year-round, would likely remain exempt.
“This is so important in that Hundreds of Millions of Dollars are spent every year by people, Cities, and States, being forced to change their Clocks,” Trump claimed.
Because there were clocks located in “towers,” Trump claimed, “the cost of renting, or using, Heavy Equipment to this twice a year is prohibitive!”
Trump said he was going to “work very hard” to see the bill signed into law.
“It’s time that people can stop worrying about the ‘Clock,’ not to mention all of the work and money that is spent on this ridiculous, twice yearly production,” Trump said.
In a self-soothing aside, Trump said, “It will also be a very nice WIN for the Republican Party. Take it!”
The president added, “We are going with the far more popular alternative, Saving Daylight, which gives you a longer, brighter Day — And who can be against that — This is an easy one!"
“Floridians and Americans across the country are tired of the biannual time change, and the evidence is clear that permanent daylight saving time can improve public health, reduce traffic accidents, lower crime and encourage more outdoor activity,” Florida Republican Vern Buchanan, who has introduced the Sunshine Protection Act in every legislative session since 2018, said in a statement on Thursday.
“Ending the clock change is a commonsense reform that will improve everyday life for millions of Americans.”
However, Californian Democrat Nanette Barragán pointed out potential health impacts related to all-year-round daylight saving time.
Trump has previously supported making daylight saving time permanent.
He posted on Truth Social in December 2024 that his party “will use its best efforts” to eliminate daylight saving time, noting it has “a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t!”
He added, “Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation.”
Last March, Trump said adopting daylight saving time all year “should be the easiest” decision of all, but admitted it was a “50/50 issue.”
“And if something’s a 50/50 issue, it’s hard to get excited about it.”
He added that he assumed people “would like to have more light later,” but acknowledged “some people want to have more light earlier, because they don’t want to take their kids to school in the dark.”
“A lot of people like it one way, a lot of people like it the other way. It’s very even.”
A poll conducted last October found 47 percent of respondents “oppose the current system of daylight saving time,” with 12 percent in favor of its observance.
Daylight saving time became law in 1918 during World War 1 in order to conserve fuel and energy. Congress later repealed and revived it before establishing the current framework under the Uniform Time Act of 1966.
Many lawmakers in coastal states prefer more evening daylight.
“The evidence is overwhelming and compelling that it’s not good for us to be changing back and forth twice a year,” California Rep. Jay Obernolte told The Washington Post.
However, critics say permanent daylight saving time would lead to grim winter mornings where the sun could rise after 9 a.m, especially in parts of the Midwest and eastern U.S.
Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton warned in a Senate speech last year that permanent daylight saving time would make winter mornings “dark and dismal” for millions of Americans.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
