President-elect Trump dropped a bombshell on Friday, saying that Republicans are ready to make a serious push to scrap daylight saving time, labeling it “inconvenient” and “costly.”
“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,” Trump announced on his social media platform, Truth Social.
For years, lawmakers have been trying to get bills passed to make daylight saving time a permanent fixture, but they’ve hit a wall in Congress—struggling to get through both chambers.
Those in favor of keeping daylight saving time year-round argue that it would mean more sunlight later in the day, giving folks more time to enjoy the outdoors. But on the flip side, critics say it would leave kids heading to school in the dark, which can be a safety concern, especially if they’re waiting for buses.
If standard time became permanent, we’d get more daylight earlier in the day all year long.
As of now, it’s still unclear whether Trump prefers sticking with daylight saving time or switching to standard time for good. The Hill has reached out to his transition team for clarity.
Most of the U.S. has been on daylight saving time since the 1960s, but the concept dates all the way back to 1918, introduced by then-President Woodrow Wilson.