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By Anna Commander
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President Donald Trump was asked about potentially getting rid of daylight saving time while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday.
"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?"
Why It Matters
The decades-old debate about changing the clocks has gripped the nation, usually dividing Americans in the polls. Trump previously came out against daylight saving time calling it "very costly to our nation," saying he aimed to eliminate the practice.
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What To Know
Trump was asked when he plans to get rid of the time change and he replied, "Ok, are you ready? So, this should be the easiest one of all, but it's a 50-50 issue.
"And if something's a 50-50 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."
In a poll on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday, billionaire Elon Musk, the social media platform's owner and Trump's head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), asked: "If daylight savings time change is canceled, do you prefer..." Nearly 42 percent said, "an hour earlier" and over 58 percent said "an hour later." The poll had 1,301,362 votes.
It was unclear what Musk meant by the two choices in the poll as users replied with questions.
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What People Are Saying
Political analyst Craig Agranoff told Newsweek via text message in part: "Scrapping daylight saving could win him some points with rural voters who hate the hassle, but it's a minor battle. Congress probably won't bother, and he'd be smart to focus on bigger fish."
Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama on X last week: "In just a few weeks, Americans will lose an hour of sleep as we "spring forward" into Daylight Saving Time. This should be the LAST time we have to change our clocks. Let's LOCK THE CLOCK, and pass the Sunshine Protection Act."
X account Save Standard Time on Thursday: "We prefer Standard Time! Daylight Saving Time is a government mandate to force early waking. Health, safety and prosperity need Standard Time's morning light!"
AccuWeather on X showing sunrise and sunset times if the U.S. did not "spring forward": "Here's how June's sunrise and sunset times would look if we eliminated daylight saving time and didn't "spring forward" this weekend. Which do you prefer? Standard time or daylight saving time? Or are you good with the way it is now?"
Charlie Kirk, founder and CEO of conservative Turning Point USA, on X in December: "BOOM! President Trump comes out AGAINST Daylight Saving Time, calls it 'inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation.' Let's go!!"
What Happens Next
America is set to "spring ahead" at 2 a.m. ET on Sunday, March 9.
Update 3/6/25, 8:10 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with a comment from Craig Agranoff.
Update 3/6/25, 5:38 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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