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By Kate Nalepinski
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As Americans prepare to set their clocks forward for daylight saving time this weekend, it remains unclear if President Donald Trump will abolish the twice-annual time change. He's adamantly opposed DST, a stance he has expressed both before and during his second presidency.
Just a few days before the clocks are set to move ahead by one hour, Trump provided an update on his beliefs on the decades-long debate.
Why It Matters
Daylight saving time begins on Sunday, March 9, when clocks move ahead by one hour.
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The practice, originally introduced in 1918 as a wartime measure to conserve energy, has long been a subject of debate.
Previously, Trump has been vocal in his opposition, calling DST "inconvenient" and "very costly to our Nation" in a post on his Truth Social platform late last year.
What To Know
Trump was asked about removing DST while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, March 6. One issue of contention? People are pretty split on the topic, he said.
"It's something I can do," Trump said. "But a lot of people like it one way, a lot of people like it the other way. It's very even. And usually, I find when that's the case, what else do we have to do?"
He said that if something's a split issue, "it's hard to get excited about it."
"I assumed people would like to have more light later. But some people want to have more light earlier because they don't want to take their kids to school in the dark," he said.
While many countries have abandoned DST due to concerns over its impact on health, safety, and economic efficiency, the United States still observes the practice, with clocks changing in March and November. Two states, Arizona and Hawaii, do not participate, opting to remain on standard time year-round.
Just one day prior to Trump's comments, billionaire Elon Musk who is involved in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), polled users on X, formerly Twitter, about the change. He prompted users: "If daylight savings time change is canceled, do you prefer..." Nearly 42 percent responded with "an hour earlier," and just over 58 percent voted for "an hour later." The final poll had 1,301,362 votes.
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In 2022, the Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which aimed to make DST permanent, but the bill stalled in the House and was never signed into law. Similar efforts in 2023 also failed to advance.
Trump has indicated support for similar legislation, though his administration has not formally proposed a new bill or executive order to eliminate DST.
Supporters of ending DST argue that it disrupts sleep patterns and has negative health effects, while proponents claim it provides economic benefits by extending daylight hours in the evening.
A YouGov poll from 2022 revealed that two-thirds of Americans surveyed wanted to end time changes, and a majority of the individuals polled agreed they wanted to make daylight saving time permanent.
What Has Donald Trump Said About Daylight Saving Time?
Trump has been critical of daylight saving time since before he re-entered the White House. But he appeared neutral on the topic on March 6, 2025, after he was asked a question about DST. "Ok, are you ready? So, this should be the easiest one of all, but it's a 50-50 issue," he started.
But it's certainly not the first time he's expressed his thoughts on the shift. On December 13, 2024, Trump posted on Truth Social declaring that he would fight to get rid of DST.
"The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn't!" he wrote. "Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation."
Back in March 2019, around the time that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Florida Senator Rick Scott sponsored the Sunshine Protection Act, Trump took to X, formerly Twitter. He wrote: "Making Daylight Saving Time permanent is O.K. with me!"
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When Rubio reintroduced legislation to do away with the practice in 2023, a statement from him read: "This ritual of changing time twice a year is stupid. Locking the clock has overwhelming bipartisan and popular support."
Musk has also commented on DST, outside of the poll. In a November 27, 2024, post on X, he wrote: "Looks like people want to abolish the annoying time changes!"
However, some critics want the opposite'—and claim that eliminating DST could lead to unintended consequences and misalign the body's internal clock. A study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that on Mondays following the spring shift to daylight saving time, workers slept an average of 40 minutes less and experienced a 5.7 percent increase in workplace injuries.
What Happens Next
Despite Trump's push on social media to end DST, no concrete action has been taken to change federal law at this time. If his administration moves forward, potential actions could include:
- Signing an executive order to eliminate DST nationwide.
- Supporting new congressional legislation, similar to the Sunshine Protection Act.
- Allowing states to decide individually whether to observe DST or standard time year-round.
For now, Americans should prepare to move their clocks forward on March 9, as daylight saving time remains in effect—at least for this year.
Update 3/7/25 8:50 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional comment from Donald Trump.
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