As Daylight Saving Time begins on March 9, discussions about its future resurfaced due to President Trump’s support for potentially ending the practice. While Hawaii and most of Arizona don’t observe it, many Americans are calling for a change. Trump previously expressed intentions to eliminate it, but no official action has been taken. Experts highlight three options: maintaining the current two-time system, making Daylight Saving Time permanent, or adopting Standard Time year-round. Health experts advocate for permanent Standard Time to align with circadian rhythms, though it might reduce evening daylight. The debate continues, with lawmakers reintroducing related bills.
On March 9, most individuals throughout the U.S. will adjust their clocks forward by one hour to mark the beginning of Daylight Saving Time. However, if former President Donald Trump follows through on his comments regarding this practice, the concept of Daylight Saving Time could undergo a significant transformation.
The notion of Daylight Saving Time has been a subject of debate for years—many countries do not observe it, and numerous Americans have voiced their desire to eliminate the biannual clock changes. Trump has shown support for abolishing the practice, yet recent attempts to do so have faltered, and only two states, Hawaii and most of Arizona, refrain from participating in Daylight Saving Time.
Here’s a summary of Trump’s statements regarding Daylight Saving Time and the potential changes that may be on the way.
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What has Trump said so far about Daylight Saving Time?
On December 13, 2024, Trump shared on his social media platform, Truth Social, “The Republican Party will utilize its full efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which, while it has a small but dedicated following, should not exist! Daylight Saving Time is cumbersome and burdensome to our Nation.”
However, Trump has not made any significant moves regarding this issue since his post on Truth Social more than a month into his presidency, leaving experts uncertain about potential forthcoming changes.
According to David Prerau, the author of Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time and a recognized expert on the subject, there are three possible approaches. The first option is to maintain the current system of changing the clocks biannually; presently, most of America adjusts the clocks forward in March for Daylight Saving Time and back in November for Standard Time. The second option would be to implement permanent Daylight Saving Time, while the third would involve making Standard Time permanent.
“[Trump] mentioned it succinctly without detail, so it’s not clear which of those he was alluding to,” Prerau notes. “Most people aren’t even aware that there are two alternative options.”
The White House has yet to respond to inquiries seeking clarification on Trump’s intentions for Daylight Saving Time.
What would permanent Daylight Saving Time look like?
Daylight Saving Time is designed to enable people to take advantage of evening daylight during the warmer seasons. Transitioning to a permanent Daylight Saving Time would mean shifting the clocks forward an hour all year round, resulting in the sun rising and setting an hour later, not just in the summer but also in the winter, according to Prerau.
Legislators have previously attempted this. A bipartisan proposal known as the Sunshine Protection Act aimed to establish Daylight Saving Time throughout the year, but the bill has encountered delays and was recently reintroduced by Republican Senator Rick Scott from Florida. Supporters of the legislation contend that adjusting the clocks biannually causes unnecessary disruption.
“I constantly hear from Americans expressing frustration about the clock changes twice a year—it’s an outdated practice that is more annoying than beneficial,” Scott stated in a press release on January 8 regarding the reintroduction of the Sunshine Protection Act. “I am thrilled to see President Trump back in office and fully supportive of LOCKING THE CLOCK so we can pass this sensible bill and simplify American families’ lives.”
Trump had previously shown his support for this change when he tweeted in 2019, “Making Daylight Saving Time permanent is fine by me!”
Prerau points out that in 1974, the U.S. government implemented a permanent Daylight Saving Time during an energy crisis, but it was unpopular due to later sunrise times leading to people waking in darkness for work or school. This change was revoked within a year. “We attempted year-round Daylight Saving Time, and it proved highly unpopular on a national scale,” Prerau states.
Read More: The U.S. Tried Permanent Daylight Saving Time Before. Here’s What Happened
Dr. David Kuhlmann, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and a specialist in sleep medicine, indicates that while the AASM supports ending seasonal time shifts, it opposes making Daylight Saving Time permanent. Instead, the academy advocates for establishing Standard Time as the permanent option, as it is more compatible with our circadian rhythms and would promote better health and safety.
“With permanent Daylight Saving Time, people would wake up in darkness and likely commute in darkness… instead of rising with the sun’s natural rhythm,” Kuhlmann explains.
What would permanent Standard Time look like?
Adopting permanent Standard Time would involve setting the clocks back an hour for the whole year, meaning the sun would rise and set an hour earlier throughout both winter and summer.
Numerous health and sleep professionals advocate for making Standard Time permanent, suggesting it would be more beneficial to our health. Kuhlmann notes that the back-and-forth switch between Daylight Saving Time and Standard Time disrupts sleep and circadian rhythms, leading to negative health effects. Research has linked Daylight Saving Time with increased risks of car accidents and hospital admissions, among other issues. He emphasizes that the impact of “circadian misalignment” from Daylight Saving Time lasts well beyond just a few days after the clocks change, persisting throughout the entire eight months of Daylight Saving Time use.
In general, establishing Standard Time as permanent would allow people to wake with the sun year-round, Kuhlmann asserts, aligning better with our circadian rhythms and ultimately promoting health benefits.
“From a standpoint of circadian alignment… it’s genuinely the healthiest option,” Kuhlmann states.
Prerau adds that the downsides of making Standard Time permanent include the likelihood that many individuals would still be asleep when the sun rises earlier in the summer, missing out on evening daylight, as sunsets would occur sooner. Rather than changing the existing approach, he recommends enhancing public messaging—like through public service announcements—to better prepare individuals for seasonal time adjustments. “The current system is effectively a compromise between these two alternatives, and, in my view, it may be preferable to either option since it provides the advantages of both,” Prerau remarks.