Trump is wrong to leak Tom Cotton's number over a clock bill
By Daniel Okafor · Reporting from New York ·
President Donald Trump posted Senator Tom Cotton's cellphone number on Truth Social to force a vote on daylight saving time, a move Senator John Kennedy called tempestuous and wrong.
President Donald Trump is wrong to use a colleague's private phone number as a legislative cudgel. By posting Senator Tom Cotton's cellphone number on Truth Social, the president has replaced policy debate with personal intimidation. This is not a strategy for governance. It is a tactic for bullying.
A fight over the sun
The dispute centers on the Sunshine Protection Act. The bill would make daylight saving time permanent. The House passed the measure in July. President Trump wants the Senate to "LOCK THE CLOCK." He argues that permanent daylight saving time provides more afternoon sunlight.
Trump cited golfers, tennis players, hunters, and farmers as proponents. He shared an October 1 letter from PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp. Trump said the PGA Tour needs more afternoon daylight to finish tournaments.
Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas is the chief critic of the bill. In a Senate speech last October, Cotton said he would "always oppose" the change. He argued the bill would "again make winter a dark and dismal time for millions of Americans." The Washington Post reported that Trump responded by publishing Cotton's personal cellphone number. He urged Arkansas voters to call the senator.
Pressure fails to persuade
This is the same mechanism Donald Trump used during the 2015 Republican presidential primary. He uses public disclosure of private contact information to punish and pressure Republican colleagueship. In 2015, Trump read Senator Lindsey Graham’s phone number at a rally.
The president may argue that he is simply empowering the voters. He claims that the people of Arkansas should tell their senator how to vote. This is the strongest case for his action. He frames the leak as a tool for direct democracy.
That argument fails. There are established ways for voters to contact their representatives. Publishing a private number to trigger a flood of calls is not democratic outreach. It is a targeted attack.
Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana sees the move for what it is. Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Kennedy said Trump can go from “zero to a-hole in three seconds.” Kennedy called the president "tempestuous." He stated, “I don’t think he should have given out Tom’s cell phone number.”
Will the bill pass?
Kennedy knows the man he is defending. He called Cotton a "rock star senator." He warned that if you get between Cotton and what is best for Arkansas, Cotton "will devour you like a light snack."
Despite the president's pressure, the bill is unlikely to move. Kennedy called the legislation "dead as disco" this week. He said he does not believe Senate Majority Leader John Thune will bring the measure for a vote.
Dawn reported that Trump's Truth Social posts claimed Cotton was "holding up a very important bill." But the facts show a deeper divide.
The president believes that loud existence and public shaming can bend a senator's will. He thinks a phone number is a fair price for a vote. Kennedy noted that such a move will not "help convince Tom."
The president has mistaken a legislative disagreement for a loyalty test. He has treated a member of his own party like a political enemy. When a leader uses doxxing to resolve a dispute over clocks, he degrades the office and the institution. The facts show a president who prefers the chaos of a feud to the work of persuasion. This is not leadership; it is a temper tantrum with a reach of millions.