Trump to ban 'costly' daylight saving time in the US as he slams its 'inefficiency'
14 December 2024, 14:05
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to ban 'costly' and 'inefficient' daylight saving time in the US.
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The president-elect made the announcement in a social media post on Friday, stating that the Republican Party would strive to end the practice.
He wrote on Truth Social: “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.”
The bold announcement comes as Trump prepares for his inauguration on January 20.
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Daylight saving refers to the practice of moving the clock forward by one hour in spring and back one hour in autumn. The practice is used to make better use of daylight.
Pew Research Center says that daylight saving is implemented in a third of countries across the world - including most of Europe.
Trump isn't the first to speak out against the practice, which has faced criticism from lawmakers and people across the US.
Critics believe that daylight saving may have a negative impact on health and argue that increased light in the morning can improve sleeping patterns on darker evenings.
Those who are supportive of daylight saving believe that lighter evenings can have a positive impact on crime rates, as well as reducing road accidents.
Clock changes in the US can be traced back to World War One. In 1918, clocks were changed in an attempt to conserve fuel - a decision that was later reversed.
Daylight saving time was made permanent in 1966 but some states opted out. Hawaii and most of Arizona do not follow the practice.
