(31 May 2024) The US election campaign took a dramatic turn yesterday as former President Donald Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records in the Stormy Daniels hush money trial. It is the first time a US president has been convicted of a felony crime. The conviction creates fresh uncertainty in the presidential race that was already very close. Currently, President Biden is running a bit behind Trump in most polls, although Trump has been ahead in most of the key swing states for several months. It is unclear how this conviction will change the political landscape although the early indications from betting markets is that Trump’s odds have slipped about 3 percentage points. Nonetheless, the current betting odds still show Trump with a 9 to 15 point advantage for winning the November election.
The next step in this legal process will be the sentencing scheduled for July 11 at 10 a.m — just four days before the Republican convention. While it is possible that judge Juan Merchan could sentence Trump to up to four years in prison, he could also receive a much lesser sentence of probation or community service given the absence of any prior criminal record. But since Trump will likely appeal any sentence, most legal experts do not expect him to spend any time in jail. In other words, he will likely continue his campaign unimpeded by any legal actions.
The conviction was announced on May 30 at 5.06 p.m EDT in New York and puts the Mercury-Uranus conjunction right up at the top of the chart near his Midheaven (unequal 10th house cusp). This activation of his 10th house of status and fame reflects the huge importance of the conviction. Typically, Mercury-Uranus alignments are positive, although their intense energy can also be disruptive. That could still be the case here, as the guilty verdict has brought an increase in donations to his campaign by his supporters. Some observers have also suggested that the conviction could backfire as it paints Trump as the victim of a corrupt justice system that targets political opponents. Interestingly, Uranus entered the sign of Taurus (00Ta00) yesterday according to the Krishnamurti ayanamsha. The Lahiri ingress occurs on June 1. Uranus ingresses are associated with sudden and powerful events, usually within a day or two of the precise ingress. This is another data point that shows the usefulness of the sidereal zodiac.
But Trump’s chart is also clearly afflicted by both Mars and Saturn. Mars (28 Pisces) was just two degrees shy of a square to Trump’s natal Saturn (0 Cancer) and Venus (2 Cancer). Mars represents conflict and frustration and its association with the Saturn-Venus conjunction in the 12th house is very apt since Trump was convicted (12th house = loss) by matters relating to Saturn (low status, marginalized) women (Venus) such as the porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump suffered the consequences of his 12th Venus-Saturn conjunction when they were activated by a transit from malefic Mars.
The more important affliction, however, may be transiting Saturn (24 Aquarius) which is square his 12th lord Moon (28 Scorpio). Since the 12th house represents loss, isolation and confinement, Trump’s legal setback should be seen as a result of this Saturn-Moon alignment. The Saturn-Uranus square is also unhelpful in this respect. Trump’s legal problems are likely to continue until Saturn turns retrograde on June 29 when the affliction to his Moon will begin to separate and weaken.
The transits for July 11 sentencing look stressful for Trump. Not unlike the Mercury-Uranus conjunction to the MC/10th cusp for the conviction, the sentencing will have a Mars-Uranus conjunction very close to the 10th house cusp/MC. This suggests it will be an eventful and important decision. While Mars tends to do well in the 10th house, the problem for Trump is that Mars’ 8th house/210-degree aspect will hit his natal Moon very closely. This suggests anger and conflict. Of course, Trump will be angry anyway since he considers the whole trial to be a politically motivated miscarriage of justice. But the Mars-Moon alignment raises the possibility of a significant sentence, perhaps more than a lighter sentence of probation or community service. Due to its slow velocity, Saturn will remain within close range of its square with the Moon and Uranus and thus could serve to undermine his campaign’s momentum.
The bottom line here is that the Trump conviction is laying the groundwork for even more drama ahead of the November election. Certainly, it is shaping up to be one of most intense and divisive in US history. I will continue to track any developments as they reflect the shifting alignments of the planets.
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore
