Donald Trump woke to a Republican party reeling from one of the largest midterm losses in US history.
Deep red states, Texas, Kansas and South Carolina, all elected Democrat senators, Republicans lost majorities in both chambers of Congress and the President will spend his final two years in office as a lame duck.
Yet, Trump apparently had bigger concerns on his mind.
He used his first speech in the wake of the devastating losses to talk up his controversial White House ballroom, before later taking to social media to fret over a long-time grievance: daylight savings.
Why daylight savings?
Trump has spent months pushing Congress to make daylight savings time permanent, even going as far as publicly posting the phone number of a Republican Senator online in a bid to secure support.
The President has argued changing the clocks twice a year is dangerous for workers and that sunshine is better in the afternoon and evening than in the morning.
He has also argued implementing year-round daylight savings would reduce crime.
“CRIMINALS DON’T LIKE WORKING IN THE LIGHT,” he claimed in an October social media post.
A keen golfer, Trump added the change would additionally allow for more time spent on the links.
There is some evidence to support the President’s position, with research finding incidents of robbery fall as much as 40 per cent during daylight savings.
Supporters of the plan also argue changing clocks results in sleep disruptions and increases the risk of traffic accidents and workplace injuries.
Critics, however, note it would result in children and workers commuting in the dark throughout much of winter, which could put some at risk of harm.
Will Congress listen to Trump?
It appears highly unlikely Trump will succeed in getting Congress to act on his request.
Even before Democrats swept back into power, Republican efforts in the House to legislate on daylight savings had largely stalled.
A July vote on the Sunshine Protection Act, which would have implemented Trump’s change, passed 308-117, but the Senate repeatedly refused to take up the bill.
In October, Trump lamented: “The United States Senate is letting the Daylight Saving Time bill die” as his efforts to force a vote fell flat.
A jogger runs as the sun rises over the the US Capitol and the Washington Monument (Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)So frustrated was the President, he posted the personal phone number of Republican Senator Tom Cotton on social media along with a message: “GET IT DONE!”.
Cotton was one of a number of Senate Republicans opposed to the change.
With Democrats decisively flipping control of both chambers it appears any hope of passing the bill is now all but gone, even though it enjoys modest bipartisan support.
Democrat leaders have suggested their focus will be on other issues, including ending the Iran war and bringing down healthcare costs.
Trump preoccupied with personal projects
Trump’s focus on daylight savings reflects a recent pattern, with the President appearing more focused on personal, non-political projects than governance issues.
Rather than use his closing message to voters to promise action on the cost of living, a key midterms concern, the President spent around 20 minutes discussing his botched renovation of Washington’s Reflecting Pool, including a joke about renaming it after himself.
The morning after Republicans’ electoral wipeout, Trump summoned reporters to the White House to trumpet about progress in the construction of his controversial ballroom – all the while deflecting blame.
“This has been a structure the likes of which has never been seen anywhere,” he declared.
“It’s going to be top of the line.”
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