(8 July 2019) The presidency of Donald Trump has been the most controversial and divisive in decades.  Trump’s radical nationalist agenda is a clear break from the more outward-looking stance of previous US administrations.  His aggressive and unpredictable tendencies have created havoc on the world scene as allies have largely rejected his transactional approach to diplomacy and trade.  His presidency is historically unpopular as his support has never cracked the 50% level and now in Year 3 remains stuck in the mid to lower 40s. 

And yet with his GOP base seemingly as loyal to him as ever, there is still a decent chance that he could be re-elected in November 2020.  So what do the stars say?

Since we are still sixteen months away from the election, I wanted to address this question in a comprehensive way over a series of posts.  There are many charts we can examine to gain a fuller understanding of the election outcome.  Trump’s horoscope is, of course, pivotal in this respect.  And yet while Trump’s chart should be decisive in terms of evidence, we must acknowledge the fact that sometime charts are not easy to read.  They can present mixed indications or otherwise lack the tell-tale signs of a win or loss. 

Therefore, it is often necessary to obtain confirmation from other charts.  In this respect, the Democratic challenger’s horoscope — whoever it turns out to be —  will also be helpful in determining if Trump can win again.  The horoscopes of the Vice-Presidential candidates can also consulted since the winner will likely have a more active and productive chart on election night.  Even the horoscopes of the two parties can provide clues about election outcomes. 

To begin this series, I thought I would initially focus on the chart of the USA.  The national chart can provide important information about election outcomes through a focus on government significators such as the Sun and the 10th house.  I have found that whenever the Sun and the 10th house (and its sign ruler) are well-aspected, the incumbent party is returned to power.  This was most recently the case in May with with the re-election of India’s Narendra Modi as transiting Jupiter closely aspected the Sun in the Indian national horoscope. 

In 2016, we can see why incumbent Democrats were at risk of losing power.  Pluto (21 Sagittarius) was exactly opposite the Sun (22 Gemini) while Saturn (21 Scorpio) was exactly quincunx (150 degrees) from the Sun.  That is a double-barreled dose of affliction to the Sun that increased the odds of a Trump victory. 

It should be noted that this approach is not always reliable. When Democrat Barack Obama beat John McCain in 2008, the Sun was not afflicted as much.  In fact, benefic Jupiter aspected the Sun by opposition. But we could still see that change was in the air.  As a bellwether for social change, the planet Uranus was prominent through its trine aspect with the Sun in November 2008.  Also the nodes, Rahu and Ketu, were making a semi-return to their natal position as Rahu conjoined Ketu.  Moreover, Rahu exactly aspected natal Uranus.  This was another sign that major change was afoot around the time of the 2008 election. 

For 2020, I would say there is no strong affliction to the Sun in November.  That said, Mars will be square to the Sun around election day so that may reflect some tense or conflictive situation with the office of the presidency.  But the absence of any slower-moving planet afflictions (Saturn, Nodes, Outers) means the matter is by no means clear. 

But we can also see that Mercury, the ruler of the 10th house, is exactly aspected by Saturn.  This is a negative factor for a Trump re-election.  The Saturn-Mercury aspect may not necessarily means that Trump loses and the Democrats win, however.  It may also reflect serious problems in the election process itself.  Mercury is due to conclude its retrograde cycle on the same day as the election and it will form a tense square with both Saturn and natal Mercury.  This strongly suggests the results will be unclear and/or contested on the night of the election.

Overall, the chart does not present a clear picture.  The Saturn influence is just as likely to related to vote tabulation issues as anything else.  There is a slightly negative lean to the chart for Trump and the GOP but I would not say it is decisive. 

In upcoming parts in this election series, I will take a look at Trump’s chart in terms of its likelihood for winning or indeed of even being nominated by the GOP.  As I have noted previously, Trump is due to face some serious difficulties this summer so it isn’t yet certain that he will be the nominee in 2020.  One step at a time. 

Weekly Market Forecast

US stocks have held their own over the past week as investors wonder if the Fed will cut rates after Friday’s strong jobs report.  Stocks generally declined on Monday with some overseas markets such as India suffering significant losses.  As noted last week, Mercury turned retrograde on Sunday the 7th and thus loaded the cosmic dice in favour of the bears. 

As the timeline below suggests, there is more red than green this week.  Mercury is now retrograde and its conjunction with Mars on Monday could produce more repercussions.  In addition, the Sun opposes Saturn on Tuesday and then Mars squares Uranus on Wednesday and Thursday.  While not all of these negative influences may pan out, some of them likely will.  For that reason, I would expect more downside this week. 

For a more detailed analysis of the markets, please check out my weekly subscriber newsletter which is published every Saturday afternoon (EST).   I outline the key technical and planetary influences for US and Indian stocks for the short and medium term, as well as currencies, gold and oil.