Sen. John Kennedy criticized President Donald Trump on Sunday for publicly sharing what appeared to be Sen. Tom Cotton‘s cellphone number, saying the president can go from “zero to a-hole in three seconds.”

The Louisiana Republican was asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” whether Trump’s attack on a fellow Republican over daylight saving time helps the party just one month before the midterm elections.

“Every now and then there are disputes in Congress that have existential significance for Western civilization,” Kennedy said. “Daylight saving time is not one of them.”

In his typical folksy ramble, Kennedy defended Cotton, R-Ark., who has opposed legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent. “Tom is a rock star senator,” Kennedy said. “If you get between him and what’s best for Arkansas, he’ll devour you like a light snack.”

Kennedy also called Trump a friend before searching for a way to describe the president. “The president, as we know, can be sometimes — um — he exists loudly,” Kennedy said. “He can be tempestuous. He can go from zero to a-hole in three seconds.”

“I don’t think he should have given out Tom’s cell phone number,” Kennedy added. “I don’t think that’s going to help convince Tom.”

Trump spent much of Saturday attacking Cotton for opposing the Sunshine Protection Act, publishing what he said was the senator’s cellphone number and urging Arkansas voters to call him. The president demanded that Republicans “LOCK THE CLOCK” and argued that permanent daylight saving time would provide more afternoon sunlight.

The exchange came after Kennedy offered a blunt assessment of Republicans’ position heading into November. He called cost of living the election’s biggest issue and warned his party against dismissing voters’ economic concerns.

“Telling them not to believe their own lying checkbooks is not going to work,” Kennedy said. “Some of that is our fault,” he added. “We should have done more.”

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Kennedy may also be looking beyond this year’s elections. Asked directly whether he was considering running for president in 2028, Kennedy answered, “Yeah.”

The 74-year-old senator said he currently plans to seek reelection to the Senate but would consider a White House bid if he became dissatisfied with the Republican field.

“If a bunch of goobers run, and I think they’re goobers and one of the goobers might win, and I think I can do a better job,” Kennedy said, “I would consider running.”

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President Donald Trump has found his latest political opponents: Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, the nation’s clocks and, apparently, darkness itself.

Trump unleashed a series of Truth Social posts Saturday demanding that Cotton stop opposing legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent, arguing Americans deserve more “SUN” in the afternoon.

“If Tom Cotton were putting Arkansas first, he would give them an extra hour of daylight,” Trump wrote.

The Sunshine Protection Act, originally co-sponsored in 2023 by Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and former Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), would eliminate the twice-yearly clock change by making daylight saving time permanent. It would not actually increase the amount of daylight, but shift an hour of it from the morning to the evening by the clock.

Trump escalated the dispute by posting what he said was Cotton’s cellphone number and urging Arkansans to call him. Cotton has remained opposed, arguing that permanent daylight saving time would force children to travel to school before sunrise during winter.

No one likes changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Savings Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter. Arkansans don’t want their kids going to school in the pitch…

— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) October 3, 2026

Other Senate Republicans, including Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, have also opposed the measure.

Trump offered several arguments for permanent daylight saving time, including that “CRIMINALS DON’T LIKE WORKING IN THE LIGHT” and that changing clocks in church steeples and municipal buildings is difficult.

He also posted an Oct. 1 letter from PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp supporting permanent daylight saving time. Rolapp cited an industry estimate that additional evening daylight could produce 23 million more rounds of golf and $1 billion in annual revenue.

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Trump claimed a previous U.S. experiment with permanent daylight saving time ended because lawmakers used it as a “negotiating chip” for other legislation.

That’s not what happened.

Congress enacted year-round daylight saving time during the 1970s energy crisis, but public support plummeted amid dark winter mornings and concerns about children traveling to school before sunrise. Congress reversed course before the experiment was scheduled to end.

By Saturday afternoon, Trump had discovered another problem with darkness.

“A table full of very distinguished people just told me that they HATE, immediately after a mandatory time change, going home at night – and it’s DARK,” Trump wrote. “It’s depressing!”

As of publication, the clocks are still scheduled to fall back for most of the country on Nov. 1.

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