It’s getting more and more difficult to listen to the president during interviews or speeches, or read his social media postings, given his propensity for using the phrase “two weeks” to update Americans on delays related to conflicts, investigations, or policy plans and when they’ll be announced, initiated or resolved.
During the president’s recent prime-time address from the White House, presumably to provide an update on the war with Iran, now in its fifth week, he told Americans that “Operation Epic Fury” is nearing completion and should be over in “two weeks.”
The U.S. is “getting very close” to achieving its goals,” he said, adding his promise to finish the conflict “very fast,” while threatening to “hit them extremely hard” over the next two or three weeks.
Sounds good, sounds great. But as the adage goes, “actions speak louder than words.”
And when it comes to follow through, what the president has shown Americans, again and again, is “two weeks” is more akin to a placeholder used by designers, developers or writers to mark where final content will go, rather than an accurate timeline.
While the president’s address, touted as breaking news, may have been intended to rally the troops and boost public confidence in the war effort, what most Americans were waiting for was a clear explanation of his goals.
Consider, during his first term (2017-2021), when asked about new tax initiatives, health care plans, infrastructure improvements, or evidence to support unsubstantiated claims, the president promised to deliver the goods in “two weeks.”
But while promises were made, promises were not kept.
Now, in his second term, that “two weeks” slogan has reemerged – this time regarding the conflict in Iran and the war between Russia and Ukraine. Meanwhile, since returning to office on Jan. 20, 2025, the president’s promises, made during his campaign, to act quickly and decisively on things like bolstering border security, lowering prices, and providing a specific energy policy, have yet to be fulfilled.
And so, Americans are forced to hold on for dear life while the president insults our intelligence with the promise of “two weeks,” which apparently means both yes or no, sooner or later, and from what we’ve witnessed in the past, not at all.
The next time the president says, “two weeks,” just replace those two words with “later.” But be aware that sometimes, “later” can serve as a synonym for “never.”