Continued from previous posts.
Policies and democracy. Trump worries me and many others, and our main concerns are in two areas:
Policy content. He – supported by his cabinet and the Republican congress – are likely to implement policies that erode social safety nets, transfer what’s now publicly and collectively owned to private corporations, and tends to benefit people like them (billionaires) at the cost of regular people.
Democracy. Trump’s m.o. is to (a) deny the truth of something easily verifiable, and (b) turning it back on the other (blame, name calling). This erodes the democratic process, norms, and unwritten rules built up over decades and centuries. His authoritarian and bullying tactics belong to the world of old-fashioned kings and dictators, not a democracy.
What we can do. So what can we do? We need to be what we want to see in the world:
Emphasize facts and reality.
Act with integrity and uphold democratic norms and processes. Support order instead of his chaos.
Support forward-looking policies and what we want to see in our society. Remember and develop our visions of the society we want to have.
Remember that a majority of people in the US support liberal policies – when these are presented outside of party politics. Remember that Trump got only a quarter of the votes, and less than half of the votes cast.
Focus on the issues and not his personality. Hold the media to a high standard of accountable reporting. Act with sanity and maturity.
Collapse. Many have predicted the end of the US empire and Trump is actively engaged in making it happen. It doesn’t take much to predict it right now, it’s happening right in front of our eyes. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
What’s more concerning is the possible collapse of western civilization as we know it. The current version of our civilization is, as we all know, profoundly unsustainable. It can’t continue. The only question is how it will end and what will come instead.
If we take it seriously – far more than we have up to now – we can still create a relatively graceful transition to a more sustainable civilization. If we continue on our current path, and Trump even wants to reverse it, the transition may be in the form of a far more harsh collapse.
Trump as a useful idiot for Republicans. Many, including me, think that the Republicans will keep Trump for as long as he is useful to them. As soon as he becomes too troublesome – either in terms of damaging the Republican brand or by being too unpredictable and unruly – they’ll get rid of him. A Pence president won’t do the public any favors, but to the Republicans, he is far more predictable and in line with the Republican agenda. Robert Reich posted about this earlier today.
The upside. The possible upside of Trump and a Republican congress is that more people will wake up to what’s really going on. The Republican agenda is to line the pockets of the wealthy at the cost of ordinary people. And that’s what Trump is in the process of doing as well.
Even better would be if more people also wake up to the need and great benefit all around from creating a culture that’s aligned with ecological realities, but I doubt if the Trump situation can do that. Someone like Elon Musk are more likely to open people’s eyes.
A test. The Trump presidency is a test of sorts. It’s a test of our character. Again, it’s an invitation for us to be what we want to see in the world.
A mirror. At a more psychological level, Trump serves as a mirror. He serves as a mirror of what lurks in the US population. And he serves as a mirror for each of us. There is a simple way of exploring this.
Write a list of what you see in him. (He is… He should…)
Turn each statement around to yourself. (I am…. I should….)
Find three or more specific examples of how each statement is true for yourself – in this situation and other situations.
Example:
Trump is a bully. -> I am a bully.
And three examples of how that is as or more true than the initial statement:
(i) I am a bully towards Trump. I see him as incompetent, reckless, a bully. In my mind, I don’t give him a chance.
(ii) I am a bully in my mind when I see policies I consider harmful to nature and people.
(iii) I become a (subtle) bully when I really want something. I put pressure on someone else.
This is a part of The Work of Byron Katie.
Authenticity. I read an article on Trump’s body language. It ended with pointing out that, at least, his body language appears consistent across time and situations.
“That is one of the things that I think a lot of people find really appealing: He’s the same wherever he is, in whatever situation he’s in,” Wood said. While in this case, some found his behavior disturbing, his consistency “can also read as authenticity,” she said.
Some Trump supporters say they support him because of his authenticity. My first reaction is what you would expect. If someone is authenticly a bigot, racist, and misogynist, is that really a good thing? How could it be?
And yet, I understand that if someone has a lot of anger and it comes out in those ways – as misogynism and racism – it can be very appealing to them. Here is someone who is openly saying what they think and feel, and that can feel liberating and freeing.
Said another way: If someone has unloved fear, that fear takes the form of anger, that anger is used to blame other groups – such as women, non-whites, and Muslims, and that anger and blame is suppressed to some extent, then I understand that someone like Trump can feel liberating.
There is also the question of whether Trump really is authentic. Yes, to some his crass behavior and language may appear authentic. But the con-man is there, the one saying whatever he thinks will get him what he wants.
January 24, 2017
Skilled manipulator. Trump is clearly a skilled manipulator.
He plays on some people’s feelings. His rhetoric is mainly designed to get an emotional reaction, and the content – in terms of truth or intention to follow up – is secondary or unimportant.
He plays with the media. He used the outrageous side of his persona to get free publicity and attention, and the media willingly gave it to him since they knew it would give them higher ratings, readerships, and clicks. To Trump, there seems to be no such thing as bad publicity.
Through his “alternative facts” (lies), he intentionally sows doubt in some people’s minds, and especially those who are less informed and perhaps less educated. This is the strategy used by the tobacco and petroleum industry to sow doubt around respectively lung cancer and climate change.
His frequent lies, including about things that can easily be checked, may be designed to create exhaustion. Most people don’t want to deal with this dynamic for very long. He hopes, and have probably experienced in the past, that many people eventually withdraw and let him to do what he wants. Of course, as president, that strategy won’t work as well. At least I hope it won’t.
He has also used the US media’s inexperience in dealing with someone like him. The media treated him like a regular candidate and often simply reported on what he said instead of calling out his lies. That may be changing, although I wish they would more consistently and clearly call out his lies.
Now that much of the media do call out his lies, he is doing his best to discredit them. It will probably work among his followers, and it may sow doubt and confusion among another – equally less informed – segment of the population.
He may be a skilled manipulator, and it may get him some of what he thinks he wants. But what’s more important is that it comes from pain and it adds to the pain. It adds to his pain, and it triggers and creates pain in those around him. Now, that includes those in the US – and the world – who recognizes his manipulation and those who will be adversely impacted by his policies.
Inclusiveness vs liberal/conservative. Being more on the liberal and non-authoritarian end of the political dimensions, I would obviously be opposed to Trump’s rhetoric and many of Trump’s policies. But another thing is more important for me, and that is inclusiveness.
Trump stands for policies that benefit the few wealthy at the cost of the majority of the population, and do so in the short term at the cost of the long term. And that’s something that is broader than conservative and liberal. Whether we have conservative or liberal views, our policies can still be inclusive and reflect a long term perspective.
Unfortunately, it seems that both parties have a tendency to be more exclusive and short-term in their thinking these days. The Republican party consistenly support policies that benefit their wealthy buddies rather than the general population. They have become the party for the wealthy few, but use value politics to draw in support from a wider segment of the population. Some Republicans, including Trump, also use fear and bigotry.
Although less crass, the democratic party now seems more attentive to its large donors and supporters (big money interests) rather than the interests of the general public. The exception is Bernie Sanders and the Sanders democrats.
Fearmongering. This is obvious. Trump is using fear to gain support among a certain group of people. He paints a worrisome and fear-inducing picture of the US and the world, often at odds with reality, and uses it to stir up fear and support. This is the strategy of authoritarian leaders and would-be leaders through history. And somehow, it works, especially among the less educated and informed, and those who see themselves as outsiders and losers in the current society.
Keeping the big picture in mind. It’s always good to keep the big picture in mind. Here are some points.
Reality.
The majority of people in the US support liberal policies when these are presented outside of the context or party politics.
Only a quarter of the US population voted for Trump, and less than half of those who voted did.
Few across the world support Trump and his policies.
The current administration won’t last.
Wake-up call.
There is likely to be a backlash.
Often, there is a breakdown before something new emerges. And Trump is, in a sense, that breakdown.
Trump may ignite and give momentum to the Sanders Democrats.
Trump may wake up more people to the reality of the Republican policies. His is a crass version of many of the typical Republican strategies and policies.
Trump may wake up more Democrats to the reality of what the Democratic party has become. A party that too often supports big money interests at the expense of the general population.
Trump may wake up the media so they more explicitly call out lies and the real consequences and benefactors of the policies of both parties.
Trump shows what lurks in the US population, and especially among the less educated whites. Said another way, he shows what happens when a segment of the population feels left out or fears being left out (especially when it’s combined with a sense of entitlement).
Trump is a mirror of what’s in the US population and in each of us. He may be a caricature, and it may take a milder form in each of us, but it’s still here. The characteristics we see in him are right here in us as well. He is an invitation for us to recognize and own it more fully.
He is a reminder for us to be what we want to see in the world.
For those of us on a healing and awakening path, he shows us some of what’s left in us.
Move on. For me and many others, there is a reaction saying: This again? I thought we were over this. We need to take care of the big issues, not get bogged down in reactionary policies and pettiness.
It’s true, we desperately need to take care of the big issues of sustainability and global and local inequality. And Trump was, in a sense, elected because the mainstream parties have not honestly addressed inequality. They have not been on the side of those with less, in this case less educated white people. He shows us what’s here to take care of.
Ugly American and fragile egos. Trump is a caricature of the ugly American: loud, crude, selfish to the extreme.
He is also someone who clearly seems to have a fragile ego and the bravado is an attempt to compensate for and protect his shaky self-esteem. The irony is that his strategy leads to large numbers of people laughing at him and disliking him, and his lack of receptivity and realistic humility leads to crashes. These crashes would normally be humbling in a healthy way, but he avoids even that by blaming others.
Separating person and policies. One of the main guidelines for any discussion, including public discourse, is to avoid ad hominem arguments.
Ad hominem (Latin for “to the man” or “to the person”), short for argumentum ad hominem, is a logical fallacy in which an argument is rebutted by attacking the character, motive, or other attribute of the person making the argument, or persons associated with the argument, rather than attacking the substance of the argument itself.
– From the ad hominem Wikipedia article
In politics, it means stick to the issues. And normally, that is a very good guideline. It’s one of the basic principles of a well functioning democracy.
Even a few weeks ago, I saw Trump in this light. Focus on the issues. Leave his personality issues to his biographers and to psychologists using him as a case study in their classes.
Now, I am not so sure anymore. He is as unhinged as ever. If anyone thought he would moderate himself after the inauguration, it took only a few hours for him to prove them wrong.
Judging from his behavior, it’s reasonable to question his psychological health and whether he is fit for the position of president. That’s, of course, what many – including myself – have said from the beginning, but I am hoping that it’s now becoming clearer to more people. His psychological health is increasingly a national and public matter as it may endanger the public and the nation. This is an issue that goes beyond partisan politics.
Mainstream media is only indirectly touching on this, but I assume that will change in the coming weeks and months. That is if he lasts that long.
What had to be true to justify what they planned to do next. I thought I would share this one, which seems to be accurate for some of Trump’s strategies.
“What the Nazis were doing was not describing what was true, but what would have to be true to justify what they planned to do next.”
Elliott Lusztig on twitter (@ezlusztig):
Hannah Arendt in her book The Origin of Totalitarianism provides a helpful guide for interpreting the language of fascists.
She noted how decent liberals of 1930s Germany would “fact check” the Nazis’ bizarre claims about Jews like they were meant to be factual
What they failed to understand, Arendt suggests, is that the Nazi Jew hating was not a statement of fact but a declaration of intent.
So when someone would blame the Jews for Germany’s defeat in WW1 naive people would counter by saying there’s no evidence of that.
What the Nazis were doing was not describing what was true, but what would have to be true to justify what they planned to do next.
Did 3 million “illegals” cast votes in this election? Clearly not. But fact checking is just a way of playing along with their game.
What Trump is saying is not that 3m illegals voted. What he’s saying is: I’m going to steal the voting rights of millions of Americans.
War on knowledge and facts. Trump represents a war on knowledge and facts more than anything else. And it’s in the service of confusing the public sufficiently so he can push through policies most people would oppose if they were better informed. The policies may be bad enough, but the damage to our democracy is far more serious and dangerous.
Also concerning is that Putin has used these strategies in Russia for a while now, with success, and he is actively using this strategy in the west as well to influence elections and more.
Border wall. Trump says he is committed to building the wall. It’s hard to find any rational reasons for building the wall. The most likely reason is dominance and humiliation. And it’s a good way to channel tax money to private companies.
He knows. Trump knows. We all do even when we pretend otherwise. Somewhere, he knows what’s real when he tries to confuse the situation, and he must know he is acting in an immature and reactive way. I assume that knowing only adds to his frustration and reactivity. It may not always be a conscious knowing, but it’s there. We all have a part that’s clued in to reality and knows what’s going on.
Hurting himself. The irony with Trump, and people like him, is that they are hurting themselves. He may want to boost his self-image and be loved, and yet he acts so nearly the whole world sees him as a child and unlikable. That only fuels his frustration and he puts more effort into his familiar strategies which only amplifies the cycle.
January 28, 2017
Zero-sum game. As many points out, Trump seems to see politics – and life – as a zero-sum game. For him to win, someone else has to lose. For him to assert dominance, he has to build a meaningless wall against Mexico and have them pay for it. Muslims has to be banned from entering the US. He has to have had the biggest and bestest inauguration crowd ever. And so on. It’s the worldview of a child. (Although that’s unfair to children. Most children are fortunately more mature than that. It’s the worldview of someone who has been badly hurt as a child.)
Narcisistic personality disorder. Although we can’t diagnose anyone at a distance, it’s fair to say that Trump displays most or all the signs of a narcissistic personality disorder. Karen Weinstein lays it out well in her article Here is what’s psychologically wrong with Donald Trump.
What will happen? I have written about this before. The whole situation with Trump is volatile and unpredictable. It is difficult for me to imagine him lasting very long, although that could be wishful thinking. He may be disposed of by the Republican congress if he is not seen as useful to them anymore, or if he is seen as too seriously harming the Republican brand. He may quit out of frustration or from having his ego repeatedly bruised. It’s also conceivable he’ll last four or even eight years. History has shown that there is no set rule for how long bizarre leaders last.
January 30, 2017
Speak out and be visible. Now, more than ever, it’s important to speak out and be visible. Some shrink in fear, and that’s exactly what bullies want. If we make ourselves small and invisible, we are giving him exactly what he wants.
The elephant in the room. I find it surprising that mainstream media is not addressing his mental health more than they do. They seem to tiptoe around the issue, perhaps from a misguided sense of ethics. What’s ethical in this situation is to bring it up and to the forefront.
It’s not about reality. With Trump and his followers, it’s not about reality. It’s about phantom enemies, and what has to be true for him to do what he wants to do.
The phantom enemies may have to do with his mental health. Creating them gives him groups of people to dominate and humiliate. They are also projections objects and a way for him to deal with his own apparently deep wounding and pain.
The phantom enemies are likely also an intentional strategy to confuse the public and make them question what’s real. And, importantly, it gives him a way to justify what he wants to do.
And, importantly, it gives him a way to justify what he wants to do.
What the Nazis were doing was not describing what was true, but what would have to be true to justify what they planned to do next.
– Elliot Lusztig on Twitter
Who are his enemies? In Trump’s mind, his enemies are many:
Any group less likely to vote for him. His unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud set him up to exclude or hinder certain groups of voters.
The media. It allows him to exclude mainstream media and deny anything they say or write, even if it’s easy to show it’s grounded in reality.
Muslims. This can give him reason for war against certain countries.
Scientists. By denying the importance and validity of science, he is free to propagate more lies.
Mexicans. An opportunity to humiliate and dominate a large group of people, and also initiate a ridiculous building project that will channel tax money to private corporations.
Women who want an abortion. Again, an opportunity to dominate and humiliate, and cozy up to conservative Christians. (Who often are more caught in fear and judgment than living from a Christian spirit.)
Anyone disagreeing with him. This gives him an excuse to fire them or deny the validity or importance of their views.
It’s not about reality II. The phantom enemies of Trump and his followers is not about reality. In addition to what I wrote about above, there is something else. Having enemies allows them to act out of reactivity, and that can feel good temporarily.
And as we know, living from reactivity tends to not go well in the longer run. It’s hard to imagine this going well for his supporters (who are likely to be hurt in multiple ways from his policies), and it’s not likely to go well for Trump either. It only fuels the wounding he seems to live from, it shows him how many dislike him and his behavior, and he is unlikely to last very long as president.
The bigger picture. I keep coming back to this. It’s easy to get bogged down in what’s happening in the short term. And it is important to stay informed and do what we each can to support democracy and Trump-targeted groups. At the same time, it’s important to keep the big picture in mind.
It won’t last. At some point, the tide will turn.
It helps us see how fragile democracy and our current civilization is. What has taken decades and centuries to build up can be torn down relatively quickly.
It’s a reminder for us to live what we want to see in the world.
What’s happening now is a wake-up call in several ways. It requires the Democratic party to be the party for the people and not for its large donors. It shows us how fragile our democracy is, that we can’t take it for granted, and that it needs to be continuously upheld and recreated. It shows us the ugliness of policies aimed at benefiting the few at the expense of the rest. It’s hopefully a wake-up call for the media so they’ll be more diligent in their reporting (e.g. calling a lie a lie). And it helps us be less naive about what some will do for power.
It shows us what’s in us. He holds up a mirror in two ways: First, so we get to see how we respond and react. Second, there is an invitation for each of us to find in ourselves what we see in him (perhaps amplified and as a caricature).
In this situation, where democracy is threatened, that takes priority. We all need to do what we can to support our democracy.
In the even bigger picture, it’s all lila, the play of the divine. It’s Spirit expressing, exploring, and experiencing itself in these ways too – in everything happening in this situation.
Some additional things:
A breakdown tends to lead to something new. We don’t know what it will be, but we can work for it being a more deeply democratic, sustainable, and life-centered culture and society.
Trump shows us what can happen when we live from trauma. I don’t know much about his childhood, but – judging from his behavior – it’s not far-fetched to think he was traumatized and bullied by his father. He seems to live from deep childhood wounding. And that is painful and traumatizing for him and those around him.
History. To me, it’s hard to understand why someone willingly put themselves on the “wrong side of history”. Of course, they may not see it that way. Or – in this case – they may not care. What’s happening now will be written about in the history books in the future, and it’s hard to imagine it won’t be as a warning. A warning about what may happen in just about any society if we get complacent.
Complacency. The Democratic party got complacent by thinking they could cozy up to the big money interests at the expense of regular people. Mainstream media got complacent by giving Trump a great deal of free attention and not calling out his lies, con-man strategies, and personality disorder. Some voters got complacent by not voting, or by voting for Trump without being well enough informed.
Shock politics. One of Trump’s strategies is to shock and create confusion and exhaustion. Which is why it’s important to focus on the issues, protect our democracy, and speak up. Another essential way to deal with this is to support organizations – financially and otherwise – that stand up for democracy and those adversely impacted by his policies (which is all of us, even him although he doesn’t seem to realize it).
February 6, 2017
I haven’t added much here for a few days. At this point, there is largely repetition and some news sources seem to do a pretty good job presenting and commenting on the Trump administration’s actions. (The Guardian, New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times etc.)
Satire. What I would like to see more of is sketches presenting Trump as mature and reasonable. He is already a caricature of immaturity and reactivity, so going the other direction is often a more effective form of satire.
February 7, 2017
Playing out conditioning. Politics – as so much else – is conditioning playing itself out. Trump was conditioned by his father, his mentor, and much more. His supporters by their background and the media they are exposed to. And it’s the same with me. We all percieve, have preferences, and live according to how this human self is conditioned.
When I remind myself of this, I hold it all – including my own preferences – with a lighter touch. And it doesn’t mean that all views or actions are equal. I’ll still speak up for and support policies that are inclusive and aim at supporting the less powerful ones, and that includes ecosystems, the Earth as a whole, and future generations. That’s the kind approach. That’s the sane approach.
Willfully inflicting pain. An odd thing about Trump is that he has a great deal to be grateful for, and he could sit back and enjoy life OR support projects that support life as a whole. Instead, he chooses to indulge in anger and blame, and push through policies that harm a great deal of people. Of course, it’s not really a choice. As mentioned above, he is just living out his conditioning.
If it bleeds…. This is another thing many have pointed out. The media is a business, and if it bleeds it leads. Anything shocking, outrageous, or scary is good for business. Trump is all of that, and he uses fearmongering as a core strategy, so he gained a great deal of free press.
I would like to see more media sources:
(a) Bringing issues into perspective. Look at the big picture. Put things in context. This would give more attention to long-range trends and sustainability.
(b) Calling out lies and possible strategies behind these lies. (Sadly far more current now than just a few years ago.)
(b) Focusing on practical solutions to serious problems. The world is full of these solutions, so why not give them more attention?
Alternate reality. Last summer, I talk briefly with an American who said he wanted to go on vacation to Scandinavia, but since Europe is overrun with Muslim terrorists, and he is likely to get killed if he goes there, he had canceled his plans.
Naturally, I thought he was joking. But he was actually serious. I guess it shows what a distorted view on the world people get if they receive most of their information from sources such as Fox News, Breitbart, and Trump. The reality is that it’s far safer there than in the US. (Radically lower rates of death from car crashes, gunshots etc.)
Americans are far more likely to be short by a toddler in the US than killed by a terrorist either in the US or Europe, and if they are killed by a terrorist, it’s far more likely to be a white right-wing one than a Muslim.
The world view presented by those media sources has very little to do with reality, and it’s not meant to correspond with reality. As I have written about before, it’s what has to be true for them to do what they want to do.
Resistance? Many liberals talk about resistance these days. I agree that it’s important to speak up about and try to stop certain actions, especially those that undermine our democracy. And it’s as or more important to be what we want to see in the world. To strengthen and play by the rules of democracy. To avoid actions that we criticize if they are done by the Republicans. To strengthen and support what we wish to have more of in the world.
Zero sum game. Trump and some Republicans seem to assume that the world is a zero-sum game. You win or I lose, or I win and you lose. To me, that’s a form of insanity itself. The world is full of solutions where we all win. And, in reality, we win or lose together in so many ways.
I assume the zero-sum mentality may partly come from childhood experiences of lose-win situations, and not so many win-win situations. And this, again, may be connected to early trauma.
Suffer? I see that some psychologists and psychiatrists say Trump does not have a mental illness because he doesn’t seem to suffer. I would disagree with that reasoning on two points.
First, it’s fully possible to have a mental disorder or illness without explicit suffering. Some people hide their suffering and would never admit to it.
Second, in my experience, it would be impossible to behave the way Trump does without a significant amount of suffering fueling it and being generated by it.
Drain the swamp. I haven’t written about this since it seems minor, but it does say something about the Trump mentality. The obvious is that he said he would “drain the swamp” and he did, by replacing them with wealthy people looking out for the interest of wealthy people. It’s not a draining of the swamp that benefits people in general.
Another, perhaps less obvious, is his choice of words. Our words reflect our worldview. And the term “drain the swamp” shows a lack of understanding of the value and importance of nature and ecosystems. Their health – including that of wetlands – is vital for our own health and well-being. And they also have value in themselves.
Anti-science. There is one thing about this topic that’s right on the surface and obvious to anyone, but often ignored and silently accepted. And that is that most politicians are anti-science. They support policies that research and experts in the field know are not the best ones, and they ignore policies that would be aligned with research and science. We see this in all areas of life.
Unpredictability. There is no shortage of predictions about the Trump presidency. Some think he won’t last long, and that he’ll be impeached or resign out of frustration. Others see this as the beginning of a coup and a form of dictatorship, or at the very least that he’ll continue to try to run the country as a private company. And others again, that he’ll stay popular among his base, that the Democrats again won’t put forward a candidate that takes people’s legitimate concerns seriously, and Trump will be re-elected in four years. I wouldn’t be too surprised if any of those happens. One of Trump’s main characteristics is his unpredictability.
Feb. 14, 2017
Astronomy and Trump. I normally shy away from things like astronomy. It’s not supported by science, and I can’t say it’s supported by my own experience either. Still, a friend of a friend posted something
And interesting about this presidential cycle on Facebook and I thought I would share it here.
The Most Scandalous Presidency Ever: An Astrological Forecast
The first month of Trump presidency proved to be even more controversial than his election campaign. It appears that our new President and his cabinet are in conflict with almost everyone inside and outside the U.S. Why is it happening and how long will it last?
This is what I wrote in my pre election update on November 6, 2016, where I predicted Trump’s victory: Since July 2016, Uranus and Neptune have been in semi-square (45°). They will remain in this semi-square through May 2020, which includes most of the duration of the next presidential term. Historically, all stressful aspects between Uranus and Neptune, including this semi-square, have timed popular discontent and social unrest… Most of the previous presidents elected during stressful aspects between Uranus and Neptune had very tumultuous terms in office, their administrations plagued with corruption and scandals. For example, Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 under Uranus/Neptune semi-square, exactly the same aspect we are living through right now. Donald Trump, if elected, may face the same fate.
I am convinced that this state of affairs will continue through the end of Uranus/Neptune semi-square in 2020, and the conflicts will get even more intense. For further reading go my professional facebook page, Astro Economic Cycles.
That certainly seems accurate enough. Expect corruption and scandals for the next four years.
And from November 12, just after the election.
What to expect from Donald Trump’s Presidency – An Astrological Update
Following my last two posts where I predicted Trump’s victory, unlikely as it appeared at the time, I received many emails from my readers who were very unhappy about Trump’s election, some even to the point of planning to leave the country. Many fear that Trump will bring our nation to a catastrophe, perhaps to a nuclear war. NONE OF IT WILL HAPPEN.
One man, no matter what his position is, cannot accomplish more than what the planetary influences allow him to, and they will not allow Mr. Trump to accomplish much.
Under Uranus/Neptune semi-square and during Uranus/Neptune/Pluto 868-year megacycle, Mr. Trump will not be able to lead our nation to a catastrophe, neither will he be able to reverse the process of globalization and “Make America Great Again.”
It is not the Trump presidency, but your own astrological chart, as well as your own actions that will determine your fate during the Uranus/Neptune semi-square in 2017-21.
I do think this is likely as well. There are, fortunately, checks and balances in place in the US democracy that hopefully will stop his most egregious actions.
And….
Those who hate Trump, do not kid yourself with a hope for his early dismissal. After a thorough research of his astrological chart as well as his biography, I discovered that Donald Trump strives on controversy, and—in spite or even because of all the conflicts he is involved in—not only he will be able to accomplish at least some of his agenda, but even keep his job for at least two-three more years. I am still researching what may happen after that, so I may talk about it in my next posts.
That’s also very possible. As long as he is useful to the Republicans, and the Republicans continue to control Congress, they’ll keep him.