"Two Weeks Out"
Trump’s Verbal Tic and the Trauma of False Promises
Every manipulator has a signature move.
For Donald Trump, it’s the phrase: “two weeks.”
According to a recent Raw Story article, Trump has used this verbal crutch hundreds of times over the years, promising action, results, or answers in “two weeks,” only for nothing to ever materialize. Whether it’s revealing a healthcare plan, proving election fraud, or explaining his taxes, “two weeks” has become a symbol of delayed accountability and perpetual gaslighting.
But for those of us who live at the intersection of systemic oppression, religious betrayal, and emotional exhaustion, this isn’t just a political tactic.
It’s a trauma pattern we’ve seen before.
In our families.
In our churches.
In this country.
“Two Weeks” Is the Language of Abusers
In therapy, we talk about the cycle of abuse:
Tension builds.
The harm happens.
Then comes the honeymoon phase…filled with empty promises.
“Two weeks.”
“Just wait.”
“I’m working on it.”
“We’re almost there.”
It’s the language of stalling hope, meant to keep us compliant without ever delivering change. It keeps victims from walking away by offering just enough illusion of progress.
And make no mistake: Trump is not just using this on his followers…he’s modeling it for them.
He’s teaching them how to delay truth.
How to deflect responsibility.
How to weaponize time.
White Supremacy Works in “Two Weeks” Too
Let’s zoom out.
The idea that justice, equity, or repair is just around the corner has always been a feature of white supremacy…not a bug.
How many times have we heard:
“We’re making progress.”
“It’s a process.”
“We’re not there yet but give it time.”
“Let the courts handle it.”
“Let’s wait until after the election.”
This is the same mechanism that told enslaved Africans, “Be patient, freedom will come.” - and here we are…SHACKLED AND NOT FREE!
The same spiritual logic that told Black Christians to suffer silently until heaven.
The same broken politics that tells us to vote for lesser evils while nothing ever fundamentally changes.
“Two weeks” is how America delays Black liberation.
Theological Gaslighting: “Your Blessing Is Coming Soon”
Church folks know this game too well.
Many of us were raised in churches that promised breakthrough in “due season.”
We were told our trauma was a test, our abuse a blessing in disguise, our poverty a pathway to spiritual purity.
And when we asked for accountability from pastors, elders, or institutions?
We were told to “wait on the Lord.”
To “trust the process.”
To “stop questioning leadership.”
This is spiritual bypassing and it’s the religious version of Trump’s “two weeks.”
Both are tools to silence pain, delay healing, and maintain control.
Disrupt the Pattern
What is the story beneath the story?
Trump’s “two weeks” is not about strategy; it’s about suspending belief.
It’s about keeping his base in a state of emotional dependency.
This is called induced helplessness: when a person (or system) controls others by making them believe that relief is coming soon, just not yet.
And if you leave, challenge it, or stop believing…you’re accused of being disloyal, impatient, or unfaithful.
Sound familiar?
This is how Black folks have been treated in every arena:
In public policy
In church pews
In families
In mental health systems
Our healing, our liberation, our full humanity?
“Two weeks.”
So What Do We Do?
We refuse to live in anyone else’s countdown clock.
We stop accepting delays as destiny.
We build healing in real time…not on promised timelines from the very systems that wounded us.
We honor our urgency.
Because our freedom cannot be postponed.
Because our healing does not need permission.
Because our liberation is not a negotiation.
"Two weeks" is the lie.
Right now is the truth.
And we are the ones we’ve been waiting on. (June Jordan)
—
🖤 Dr. Tanya Alkhaliq
Theologian. Therapist. Researcher.
Tales from the Theologian, Therapist, & Researcher