Trump’s grandstanding ‘liberation day’ as he launched a trade war with tariffs for all the world like a gameshow host has fulfilled one of his aims, namely drawing the attention of the world to him.
He timed his bombshell announcement unwittingly with astrological precision at 4pm Washington, DC time. The destructive Fixed Star Algol was exactly conjunct the Midheaven; and the shipwreck Scheat plus unrealistic Neptune were on the cusp of the financial 8th. There was a confident Moon Jupiter in the 10th. With an exact mini Grand Trine of Mars in Cancer in the 11th trine Saturn in the friends-and-enemies 7th, sextile Uranus in the international 9th.
He also has tr Uranus on his personal birth chart conjunct his Midheaven exactly, suggesting his birth time of 10.54 am may well be accurate. Which would mean that tr Neptune Scheat are also moving into his 8th – an ominous sign for his financial acuity and progress ahead.
Scott Bessent, 21 August 1962, Treasury Secretary, is having a panicky-failure year ahead with tr Neptune square his Mars running till late January 2026; with jolts and jangles from this July onwards.
Peter Navarro, 15 July 1949, described as Trump’s ‘tariff czar’, is equally nervy from early this June with tr Neptune square his Uranus, extending through and worsening in 2026 when he also picks up a financial-bubble-bursting Solar Arc Jupiter opposition his Neptune and a high tension tr Urus square his Saturn.
Instant success will not be on the cards.
Since economics is not my area, some snippets below from informed economic journalists, all of whom are clear that no one really knows what the effects will be.
“It is hard not to feel, yet again, that part of what drove Trump’s decision was the sheer thrill he gets from his power. He glories in the way the world hangs on his every move, as the world must when its largest economy is controlled by a grudge-bearing man-child with guns who governs by decree.”
“Perilous and chaotic, Trump’s tariffs add up to an attempt to transform a badly broken economic model.”
“Trump’s announcement was awash with insult and rambling nonsense.”
“Things may not look so benign, however, when the rubber hits the road — when the inevitable price hikes are passed on to consumers, when inflation and the cost of mortgages begin to rise, when real wages remain flat, or when investment stalls and the US economy starts to experience a Trump slump.”
“It will be months, if not years, before many US companies or sectors have the confidence and the cash to invest in the way “fortress America” supporters hope.”
“Trump thinks tariffs have a magical ability to transform the US economy but they are more likely to boost inflation, inhibit investment and undermine growth.”
“Tariffs alone are not going to rebalance the entire world economy.”
“A central trade-off not just with tariffs but with any solution to the problem of gargantuan trade and currency distortions: someone, somewhere has to pay. If Trump lets the dollar appreciate, then American consumers don’t have to bear the cost. But then American factories won’t recover either.”
“A crucial question is whether Trump will be able to sustain these aggressive trade policies for an extended period or will eventually reverse them under the weight of economic, market, political and even legal pressure.”
“The instant effect of “liberation day” will be confusion and uncertainty, which for Trump is often intentional. The more chaos there is, the greater his sense of being in control. It is also rash to assume that voters will be immune to economic disinformation. Social media has taken the art of scapegoating to near scientific heights.”
“Irrespective of whether Trump’s trade war chaos is fleeting or gets worse, the diplomatic cost will be enduring. Countries will look to do the serious deals with each other and bypass America. In that sense Trump’s transactionalism is self-defeating. Falling trust means fewer deals.”
The post Trump tariffs – sound the trumpets for a disaster? first appeared on Astroinform with Marjorie Orr – Star4cast.
