(19 March 2018) Just when you thought the chaos in the White House couldn’t get any worse, it does.  After the weekend firing of FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and the subsequent tweetstorm against Robert Mueller, President Trump is quickly running out of options.  The recent firings of more moderate voices in the administration have only increased the stakes as Trump is left to its own unpredictable gut instincts. 

The Trump presidency now faces its greatest challenge as the Mueller investigation has begun to look into his corporation’s financial dealings with Russian oligarchs.  Moreover, we have now learned that Trump’s campaign advisors used data illegally obtained from Facebook users through the shadowy data mining firm, Cambridge Analytica.  Trump’s repeated denials of collusion with Russia seem more desperate than ever and recall the words of Shakespeare: "methinks he doth protest too much."  

I had previously written that President Trump was facing a serious situation in late March and early April as Mars and Saturn conjoined opposite his Mercury.  This is a toxic planetary brew that reflects a much deeper level of crisis within his presidency.  And given Mercury’s association with business and the economy, this double affliction of Mars and Saturn are likely to reflect even greater declines in the stock market.  Could this pattern coincide with the firing of Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller?

It’s very possible.  Previously, I wasn’t sure what event might result from this portentous Mars-Saturn-Mercury alignment.  I thought one possibility would be some kind of conflict in North Korea was possible given some difficult aspects in the charts.  However, tensions have eased in recent weeks amid talk of an impending meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un. 

But there is also evidence that Mueller could be fired.  Mueller’s birth time is unknown but the Mars-Saturn conjunction at 14-15 Sagittarius occurs is a close opposition to his natal Saturn at 13 Gemini.  Transiting Rahu (19 Cancer) will conjoin his Sun and speaks to changing status and unpredictable situations.   By themselves, these transits would not be enough to indicate firing. 

However, the Western tertiary progressed chart looks very afflicted in late March and early April as Moon, Mercury and Mars square the natal Saturn very closely.  We could extend the time window for this pattern by several weeks into late April due to the uncertainty about the birth time.  Nonetheless, it does suggest a very frustrating situation where Mueller is likely to be on the losing end of things. But if not firing, then what?  I suppose other major setbacks in his investigations are possible, but being fired is still the more likely outcome from this kind of multiple planet alignment with Saturn.

So Mueller’s chart is bad, but is it bad enough to suggest losing his job?  Quite possibly, but the uncertainty about the birth time means it is impossible for me to make a prediction with high confidence.

The USA horoscope does provide additional support that Mueller may get axed, however.  The Mars-Saturn conjunction is almost exactly opposite the natal Jupiter at 15 Gemini. This particular alignment is made much more powerful due to the approaching retrograde station of Saturn on April 17th.  

As we know, Jupiter is the planet that symbolizes justice.  So this double affliction to Jupiter could symbolize justice and the justice system under threat, such as would be the case if Mueller was sacked.  It has been widely discussed that his firing would spark a "constitutional crisis" where Trump would be much more likely to be impeached for obstruction of justice.  This was the reason that President Nixon was forced to resign in 1974 for his role in the cover-up of the Watergate break-in.  

The bottom line is I think Mueller could well be fired by Trump in late March or April.  I would say the odds are significantly greater than 50% but that still leaves room for other outcomes.  Of course, even if Trump fires Mueller, Trump will still be the president even if he loses the support of some members of his own party may publicly. 

In that respect, my original view about impeachment hasn’t changed. Trump is more likely to be impeached in 2019, presumably after the Democrats have won the House and perhaps the Senate.   The Saturn-Ketu conjunction in 2019 aligns with the Sun in the USA chart and is a better symbolic fit with impeachment and/or resignation.  It is also worth remembering that it will take place after his Jupiter-Saturn dasha period will have begun in late 2018.   The Jupiter-Saturn dasha period is more likely to reflect greater problems for Trump.