CNN Dunks on TACO Trump With Supercut of His Failed Two-Week Deadlines
It turns out this week is certainly not the first time he’s promised action within two weeks.

Ludovic Marin/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump has given himself a two-week deadline to decide whether or not the U.S. will attack Iran, but CNN points out that he’s given that exact same deadline many times before.
A supercut of his two-week pledges aired last month when host Kasie Hunt had already identified the president’s troubling habit of letting his deadlines lapse with no action. Karoline Leavitt was pressed on his repeated use of the same tactic Thursday after Trump promised to make a decision on Iran within two weeks.
In the first clip, Trump tells a reporter on April 27 that he’ll know in approximately two weeks what his next moves were in relation to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his invasion of Ukraine. When pressed by a reporter who asks for an actual date or timeline, Trump responds, “Well, two weeks or less, or if it’s a little more at the time I’d say...” and shrugging.
It's always “two weeks”
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) June 19, 2025
pic.twitter.com/F1JaacRKb9
In the next, filmed on May 19, he tells another reporter that he’d rather answer their question about what will happen next in Ukraine in “about two weeks”.
ADVERTISEMENT
Hunt then draws viewers’ attention to the timestamps on those videos, pointing out that, once again on May 28, Trump had avoided answering questions about Russia and Ukraine by postponing the issue by another two weeks.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Almost a month later, there has been no further acknowledgement of the fact that the president’s two-week deadline has been and gone with no sign of a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine in sight.
Trump’s press secretary was pressed on the pattern Thursday. “He’s used this phrase about two weeks several times, in terms of ’We expect a two-week deadline,’ and then you give another two-week deadline. How can we be sure that he’s gonna stick to this one, making a decision on Iran?” a reporter asked Leavitt.
After initially blaming the issue on President Biden and the fact that Trump “inherited“ the conflicts of Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Iran from the “previous, incompetent president,” Leavitt suggested that Trump’s fixation on a self-imposed two-week timeline was born from a desire to find diplomatic solutions to problems.
Leavitt told reporters, “The last time the president said two weeks, you saw [Russia and Ukraine] have direct negotiations for the first time in years.”
She continued, “The president is always interested in a diplomatic solution to the problems and the global conflicts in this world,“ adding, ”He is a peace-maker-in-chief, he is the peace-through-strength president. If there is a chance for diplomacy, the president will grab it. But he is not afraid to use strength, I will add.”
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.

