In a recent declaration on his Truth Social platform, President-elect Donald Trump expressed intentions to put an end to daylight saving time (DST), highlighting the practice as "inconvenient" and "very costly" for American citizens. Despite having a small but vocal constituency that supports DST, Trump contended that it should be discontinued and signaled his Republican party's commitment to this goal.
Daylight saving time, which involves adjusting clocks forward by one hour in the spring and back in the autumn, aims to maximize daylight usage. The Pew Research Center indicates that approximately a third of the world's countries, including most of Europe, observe this tradition. However, there has been a persistent movement in the United States advocating for its termination. Proponents of standard time argue that it enhances health by allowing for more daylight in the morning, thus improving sleep patterns during darker evenings. They claim that the biannual clock change can disturb sleep schedules and have negative health effects.
Conversely, many argue in favor of making DST permanent, stating that extended evening daylight could lead to reduced crime, minimized energy consumption, and diminished road accidents. Both factions assert that their preferred timing would positively impact the economy.
Trump’s initiative isn't the first government attempt to revise the seasonal clock changes in the U.S. In 2022, a bill aimed at making daylight saving time permanent was introduced in the Democratic-controlled Senate, known as the Sunshine Protection Act, sponsored by Republican Senator Marco Rubio. The bill failed to reach President Joe Biden's desk and Rubio has since been tapped by Trump for the position of secretary of state in his forthcoming administration.
Historically, the U.S. adopted seasonal clock changes during World War One in 1918 to conserve fuel, facing opposition from farmers, which led to its repeal after the war. Though DST returned for World War Two, it became a permanent fixture in 1966, with states retaining the option to opt-out, as seen with Hawaii and most of Arizona.
Research conducted by Joan Costa-i-Font, a professor at the London School of Economics, has suggested that DST adversely affects sleep and physical health, while also increasing feelings of fatigue and stress. Costa-i-Font's findings indicate that discontinuing DST could result in an increase in economic output as significant as €754 ($792; £627) per person per year.
Countries such as Mexico and Jordan have abolished DST in recent years, although certain regions near the U.S. border maintain the practice for economic considerations. Other nations, like Turkey and Russia, opted for a permanent DST approach within the last decade. According to a Monmouth University Poll, about two-thirds of people in the United States favor making daylight saving time a permanent fixture.
Daylight saving time, which involves adjusting clocks forward by one hour in the spring and back in the autumn, aims to maximize daylight usage. The Pew Research Center indicates that approximately a third of the world's countries, including most of Europe, observe this tradition. However, there has been a persistent movement in the United States advocating for its termination. Proponents of standard time argue that it enhances health by allowing for more daylight in the morning, thus improving sleep patterns during darker evenings. They claim that the biannual clock change can disturb sleep schedules and have negative health effects.
Conversely, many argue in favor of making DST permanent, stating that extended evening daylight could lead to reduced crime, minimized energy consumption, and diminished road accidents. Both factions assert that their preferred timing would positively impact the economy.
Trump’s initiative isn't the first government attempt to revise the seasonal clock changes in the U.S. In 2022, a bill aimed at making daylight saving time permanent was introduced in the Democratic-controlled Senate, known as the Sunshine Protection Act, sponsored by Republican Senator Marco Rubio. The bill failed to reach President Joe Biden's desk and Rubio has since been tapped by Trump for the position of secretary of state in his forthcoming administration.
Historically, the U.S. adopted seasonal clock changes during World War One in 1918 to conserve fuel, facing opposition from farmers, which led to its repeal after the war. Though DST returned for World War Two, it became a permanent fixture in 1966, with states retaining the option to opt-out, as seen with Hawaii and most of Arizona.
Research conducted by Joan Costa-i-Font, a professor at the London School of Economics, has suggested that DST adversely affects sleep and physical health, while also increasing feelings of fatigue and stress. Costa-i-Font's findings indicate that discontinuing DST could result in an increase in economic output as significant as €754 ($792; £627) per person per year.
Countries such as Mexico and Jordan have abolished DST in recent years, although certain regions near the U.S. border maintain the practice for economic considerations. Other nations, like Turkey and Russia, opted for a permanent DST approach within the last decade. According to a Monmouth University Poll, about two-thirds of people in the United States favor making daylight saving time a permanent fixture.
