US President Donald Trump is once again pushing for an end to the longstanding practice of changing clocks twice a year for Daylight Saving Time (DST), arguing that the biannual shift places an unnecessary financial strain on the federal government and causes public inconvenience.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “The House and Senate should push hard for more Daylight at the end of a day. Very popular and, most importantly, no more changing of the clocks, a big inconvenience and, for our government, A VERY COSTLY EVENT!!!”
The message reflects his continued support for scrapping the time change, which affects virtually every American household twice a year—in March and November.
A decades-old debate reignited
The US has been observing daylight saving time for more than a century, though not without controversy. The practice—originally intended to conserve energy and make better use of natural daylight—has faced growing opposition in recent years from lawmakers, health experts, and citizens alike.
Trump has voiced similar sentiments in the past. In a post shared last December, he stated:
“The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation.”
However, his position has occasionally softened. Not long after endorsing a permanent switch to daylight saving time, Trump acknowledged that Americans remain divided on the issue.
“It’s something I can do, but a lot of people like it one way, a lot of people like it the other way,” he said. “Half of the people want to keep changing timings every autumn and fall, while the rest don’t want it.”
Congress divided on how to move forward
While there is broad consensus in Washington on ending the twice-yearly time change, there remains significant disagreement over which time to keep—standard time or daylight saving time.
Senator Ted Cruz weighed in on the debate, noting the public split. He said that while many people agree on eliminating the biannual clock shift, they are divided over what should replace it. Some citizens prefer daylight saving time, citing extended evening light for sports and outdoor activities. Others advocate for standard time, arguing it promotes healthier sleep patterns and aligns better with natural light cycles.
Previous efforts stalled in Congress
Efforts to permanently end the clock changes have previously fallen short. In 2022, a bipartisan bill to eliminate the time shift passed in the US Senate but stalled in the Republican-led House, preventing it from reaching then-President Joe Biden for approval.
Under current policy, clocks are set forward by one hour each spring and returned to standard time in the fall. This year, clocks will “fall back” on November 2, reversing the hour gained in March.
As momentum builds once again around the daylight saving time debate, the question remains: Will this be the moment the United States finally stops changing its clocks?
With President Trump renewing his push and growing public interest in reform, Congress may be forced to act.
