President-elect Donald Trump has announced that the Republican Party will work toward eliminating daylight saving time, labeling the biannual clock changes as uncomfortable and costly.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump revealed the party’s intention to eliminate daylight saving time, citing its inconvenience and high costs. Although he did not provide further details, this is not the first time Trump has addressed the topic.
In 2019, after Americans lost an hour of weekend time due to the spring time change, he expressed his approval of a permanent shift to daylight saving time.
One of the challenges to abolishing daylight saving time or making it permanent is that Congress would need to decide whether to eliminate the time changes entirely or make them permanent, ensuring either an extra hour of sunlight in the morning or evening year-round.
US Senator Marco Rubio from Florida, a strong proponent of permanent daylight saving time, has introduced the "Sunshine Protection Act," which has received support from many members of Congress, particularly from southern states.
Rubio, who was also chosen by Trump to serve as Secretary of State, has repeatedly expressed his opposition to the biannual time change.
This issue has also gained traction among some of Trump’s prominent advisors, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Both have voiced their support for eliminating the time changes, calling it inefficient and easy to alter.
Daylight saving time was first proposed by Benjamin Franklin, who suggested that additional daylight could reduce the use of candles.
However, the energy-saving rationale for daylight saving time has been challenged, with studies revealing that disruptions to sleep patterns can harm health and lead to an increase in traffic accidents.
During the 1970s energy crisis, Congress temporarily suspended daylight saving time for two years, but the idea was unpopular as it caused people to go to work and school in the dark.
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