diff --git a/src/uu/date/src/date.rs b/src/uu/date/src/date.rs
index d95a71b7c9f..8ba5d24d7cc 100644
--- a/src/uu/date/src/date.rs
+++ b/src/uu/date/src/date.rs
@@ -802,6 +802,44 @@ pub fn uu_app() -> Command {
         )
 }
 
+/// Expand `%c` into the locale's date and time format.
+///
+/// jiff renders `%c` with the POSIX format, but GNU `date` stands it for the
+/// locale's `D_T_FMT`: that is what makes `%c` carry the timezone under
+/// `en_US` and drop it under `fr_FR`. Rewriting the format string rather than
+/// rendering `%c` ourselves keeps the expansion on the normal path, so the
+/// month and day names inside it are still localized afterwards.
+fn substitute_datetime_format(fmt: &str) -> Cow<'_, str> {
+    if !fmt.contains("%c") {
+        return Cow::Borrowed(fmt);
+    }
+    let Some(datetime_format) = locale::get_locale_datetime_format() else {
+        return Cow::Borrowed(fmt);
+    };
+
+    let mut out = String::with_capacity(fmt.len());
+    let mut chars = fmt.chars().peekable();
+    while let Some(c) = chars.next() {
+        if c != '%' {
+            out.push(c);
+            continue;
+        }
+        match chars.peek() {
+            Some('c') => {
+                chars.next();
+                out.push_str(datetime_format);
+            }
+            // Keep `%%` intact so jiff still renders it as a literal percent.
+            Some('%') => {
+                chars.next();
+                out.push_str("%%");
+            }
+            _ => out.push('%'),
+        }
+    }
+    Cow::Owned(out)
+}
+
 /// Replace bare `%s` conversion specifiers in `fmt` with the Unix epoch second
 /// using floor semantics.
 ///
@@ -1037,6 +1075,12 @@ fn format_date_with_locale_aware_months(
     #[cfg(feature = "i18n-datetime")] skip_localization: bool,
     #[cfg(not(feature = "i18n-datetime"))] _skip_localization: bool,
 ) -> Result<String, String> {
+    // `%c` stands for a whole format string, so expand it before anything else
+    // reads the format: the names it contains still have to be localized, and
+    // its own specifiers still have to reach jiff.
+    let expanded = substitute_datetime_format(format_string);
+    let format_string: &str = &expanded;
+
     // Apply locale-aware name substitution (month/day names) before modifier
     // processing, so that formats like "%-e" don't bypass localization of "%b"/"%A".
     // The owned String is kept in `localized` so `fmt` can borrow from it for the
diff --git a/src/uu/date/src/locale.rs b/src/uu/date/src/locale.rs
index ce2c05406b0..6b679c94a99 100644
--- a/src/uu/date/src/locale.rs
+++ b/src/uu/date/src/locale.rs
@@ -46,6 +46,9 @@ cfg_langinfo! {
     /// Cached locale date/time format string
     static DEFAULT_FORMAT_CACHE: OnceLock<&'static [u8]> = OnceLock::new();
 
+    /// Cached locale `D_T_FMT`, the format `%c` stands for.
+    static DATETIME_FORMAT_CACHE: OnceLock<Option<&'static str>> = OnceLock::new();
+
     /// Mutex to serialize setlocale() calls during tests.
     ///
     /// setlocale() is process-global, so parallel tests that call it can
@@ -73,6 +76,26 @@ cfg_langinfo! {
 
     /// Retrieves the date/time format string from the system locale
     fn get_locale_format_string() -> Option<Vec<u8>> {
+        query_nl_langinfo(DATE_FMT)
+    }
+
+    /// Returns the locale's combined date and time format (`D_T_FMT`), which
+    /// is what `%c` stands for.
+    ///
+    /// `None` when the locale supplies no format, or when that format is not
+    /// valid UTF-8, as happens with legacy charsets such as `zh_TW.euctw`.
+    /// Callers then leave `%c` to its POSIX rendering.
+    pub fn get_locale_datetime_format() -> Option<&'static str> {
+        *DATETIME_FORMAT_CACHE.get_or_init(|| {
+            let format = String::from_utf8(query_nl_langinfo(libc::D_T_FMT)?).ok()?;
+            Some(&*Box::leak(format.into_boxed_str()))
+        })
+    }
+
+    /// Reads one `nl_langinfo` item for the locale named by the environment.
+    ///
+    /// Returns bytes because legacy charsets (e.g. `zh_TW.euctw`) are not UTF-8.
+    fn query_nl_langinfo(item: libc::nl_item) -> Option<Vec<u8>> {
         // In tests, acquire mutex to prevent race conditions with setlocale()
         // which is process-global and not thread-safe
         #[cfg(test)]
@@ -82,14 +105,13 @@ cfg_langinfo! {
             // Set locale from environment variables
             libc::setlocale(libc::LC_TIME, c"".as_ptr());
 
-            // Get the date/time format string
-            let d_t_fmt_ptr = libc::nl_langinfo(DATE_FMT);
-            if d_t_fmt_ptr.is_null() {
+            let item_ptr = libc::nl_langinfo(item);
+            if item_ptr.is_null() {
                 return None;
             }
 
-            let format = CStr::from_ptr(d_t_fmt_ptr).to_bytes();
-            (!format.is_empty()).then(|| format.to_vec())
+            let value = CStr::from_ptr(item_ptr).to_bytes();
+            (!value.is_empty()).then(|| value.to_vec())
         }
     }
 }
@@ -99,6 +121,15 @@ cfg_langinfo! { else
     pub fn get_locale_default_format() -> &'static [u8] {
         POSIX_DEFAULT_FORMAT
     }
+
+    /// Without a langinfo query, `%c` keeps the POSIX rendering jiff gives it.
+    ///
+    /// `D_T_FMT` is POSIX, unlike the `_DATE_FMT` extension above, so the
+    /// other Unix platforms could answer this too; wiring them up needs a
+    /// machine to check them on.
+    pub fn get_locale_datetime_format() -> Option<&'static str> {
+        None
+    }
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
diff --git a/tests/by-util/test_date.rs b/tests/by-util/test_date.rs
index 3b4be7fd9e8..8b2ef4cac0d 100644
--- a/tests/by-util/test_date.rs
+++ b/tests/by-util/test_date.rs
@@ -1675,6 +1675,74 @@ fn test_date_military_timezone_with_offset_and_date() {
     }
 }
 
+/// The `%c` specifier stands for the locale's `D_T_FMT`, so its rendering has
+/// to match what that very format string produces. Deriving the expectation
+/// from the locale keeps the test independent of the distribution's locale
+/// data, and it is exactly the property that was broken: `%c` used to fall
+/// back to the POSIX format whatever the locale said.
+#[test]
+#[cfg(unix)]
+fn test_date_c_specifier_uses_locale_datetime_format() {
+    let locale = "en_US.UTF-8";
+    if !is_locale_available(locale) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    let Some(d_t_fmt) = locale_keyword(locale, "d_t_fmt") else {
+        return;
+    };
+
+    let render = |format: &str| {
+        new_ucmd!()
+            .env("LC_ALL", locale)
+            .env("TZ", "UTC")
+            .args(&["-d", "2023-11-14T23:13:20", &format!("+{format}")])
+            .succeeds()
+            .stdout_move_str()
+    };
+
+    assert_eq!(render("%c"), render(&d_t_fmt));
+}
+
+/// In the C locale `D_T_FMT` is the POSIX format, so `%c` keeps its plain
+/// rendering. This one needs no locale to be installed.
+#[test]
+fn test_date_c_specifier_in_c_locale() {
+    new_ucmd!()
+        .env("LC_ALL", "C")
+        .env("TZ", "UTC")
+        .args(&["-d", "2023-11-14T23:13:20", "+%c"])
+        .succeeds()
+        .stdout_only("Tue Nov 14 23:13:20 2023\n");
+}
+
+/// Expanding `%c` must not swallow an escaped percent sign.
+#[test]
+fn test_date_escaped_percent_before_c() {
+    new_ucmd!()
+        .env("LC_ALL", "C")
+        .env("TZ", "UTC")
+        .args(&["-d", "2023-11-14T23:13:20", "+%%c"])
+        .succeeds()
+        .stdout_only("%c\n");
+}
+
+/// Reads one keyword out of `locale(1)`, e.g. `d_t_fmt`. `None` when the
+/// command is missing or answers nothing usable.
+#[cfg(unix)]
+fn locale_keyword(locale: &str, keyword: &str) -> Option<String> {
+    let output = std::process::Command::new("locale")
+        .env("LC_ALL", locale)
+        .arg(keyword)
+        .output()
+        .ok()?;
+    let value = String::from_utf8(output.stdout)
+        .ok()?
+        .trim_end()
+        .to_string();
+    (!value.is_empty()).then_some(value)
+}
+
 // Locale-aware hour formatting tests
 #[test]
 #[cfg(unix)]