Trump Makes Sweeping Case for Locking in Daylight Saving Time – Less Murder, Better Health

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump urged the Senate to “PASS THE SUNSHINE PROTECTION ACT ASAP” to lock in daylight saving time, arguing that an extra hour of evening sunlight could help drive down murder and robbery rates across the United States, as well as improve health.

Trump made a push for the legislation he’s promised since winning the 2024 election on Wednesday after the legislation cleared the House last month in a 308-117 vote, calling on Republican senators to send the bill to his desk.

“For many years, the vast Majority of Americans have asked to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, but no Administration has been able to get it properly done, until now,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I am proud to announce that the House of Representatives has passed the Bill, and it has now gone to the Senate for final approval.”

The president cited a sweeping list of potential benefits from ending the twice-yearly clock change, ranging from lower crime and fewer traffic accidents to improved health and a boost for businesses.

He wrote: “Leading Medical, Crime, and Economic Studies have shown that ceasing the biannual time change, giving us one extra hour of natural sunlight in the evenings, will help Decrease Robbery and Murder Rates, Reduce Car Accidents (especially those involving Pedestrians!), Lower Risk for Cardiac Issues, Stroke, and Seasonal Depression, Make It Safer for Children to Walk Home from School, Increase Time with your Family, Strongly Support Extracurricular Activities, Be a Big Boost to Sports, Fitness, Tourism, Retail, and the Restaurant Industries (and more!), and Save Money on Energy Bills, because everyone will be enjoying an EXTRA HOUR OF DAYLIGHT.”

Trump then pitched the measure as a rare opportunity for bipartisan agreement “that Republicans, Dumocrats, and Independents can unite behind.”

Most Americans currently move their clocks forward in March before returning to standard time in November in a move intended to extend evening daylight during the warmer months before shifting more daylight to the morning during winter. Some states, including Hawaii and most of Arizona, however, do not observe daylight saving time.

A 2023 YouGov survey found 62% of participants favored scrapping the biannual switch, while a January 2025 Gallup poll found 54% wanted daylight saving time eliminated. Gallup found 48% preferred permanent standard time, compared with 24% who backed year-round daylight saving time.

The Senate unanimously passed an earlier version of the legislation in March 2022, but it stalled in the House amid disagreement over whether the country should permanently adopt daylight saving time or standard time.

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