President Trump's decision to publish Sen. Tom Cotton's cellphone number on his Truth Social account has thrown Senate Republicans into disarray, injecting a volatile new element into the Arkansas Republican's reelection campaign and intensifying a looming Senate fight over year-round daylight saving time.
The move, which came after Cotton blocked the Sunshine Protection Act—a bill to make daylight saving time permanent—has stunned GOP senators and strategists. Trump, whose Truth Social account boasts over 13 million followers, urged his supporters to bombard Cotton with calls and pressure him to drop his opposition. Cotton, the third-ranking Senate Republican and chair of the Intelligence Committee, is a prominent national security hawk whose leadership role makes the breach particularly damaging.
One Senate GOP strategist, speaking on condition of anonymity, called the doxxing an "enormous disruption," noting that Cotton likely had to change his number and field a flood of unwanted calls. "It is mind-bogglingly stupid of this administration in the midst of a disastrous campaign to focus on this," the strategist said. "Whichever stupid staffer put this in front of [the president] did not think about the fact that for the next two years you're going to need every single Senate Republican to band together against impeachment, against subpoenas."
The dispute has also exposed fissures within the GOP over the clock-change legislation. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) defended Cotton's stance, citing "real safety concerns" in northern and rural states where children board school buses in the dark. "I think there's more opposition to it than the president realizes," Wicker said. He added that he "wouldn't have advised" Trump to make Cotton's number public.
The battle will come to a head during the Senate's lame-duck session in November and December. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), a close Trump ally, is pushing for a vote on the Sunshine Protection Act, which passed the House 308-117 in July. Scott emphasized that the bill would allow states to choose permanent daylight saving time rather than mandate it. The measure is popular in Florida, but senators from northern states and the western edges of time zones, including Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), remain opposed. "I voted against it in committee," Thune said, adding that it's "remains to be seen" whether the bill can reach the 60-vote threshold.
Some GOP insiders see Trump's attack as a subtle power play aimed at Cotton's future leadership ambitions. With Thune, 65, potentially retiring after this cycle, Cotton and Scott are both viewed as contenders for the top Senate GOP job. "This might be a way for him to [expletive] on Cotton's leadership race," a former GOP aide speculated.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) offered a colorful take on the clash, telling NBC's "Meet the Press" that Trump "can go from zero to a[expletive]hole in about three seconds." Kennedy praised Cotton as a "rock star senator" who "devour[s] you like a light snack" if crossed, while acknowledging Trump "exists loudly" and "can be tempestuous."
A senior Senate Republican aide noted that while "nothing" Trump does surprises senators, the doxxing would agitate any chief of staff. Trump previously pulled a similar stunt in 2015, reading then-Sen. Lindsey Graham's cellphone number aloud at a rally. That history, combined with Cotton's break with Trump on the issue, suggests the feud may not fade quickly.
The episode also comes as Trump faces criticism over his turnout strategy and attacks on the media, raising questions about whether such distractions will hurt the GOP in November. For now, Cotton's office has not commented on the doxxing, and it remains unclear whether the senator will change his position or his phone number.
