In the end, strongmen require loyal subjects who will follow them no matter what their flaws; both Trump and Erdoğan possess that kind of pull, but there’s always a breaking point.
Parallels
abound in the media between Donald J. Trump and a host of “strongmen” who find
their way into powerful places, but move over Hitler, Mussolini and Putin, the
new—and perhaps most salient—astrological parallel for a would-be Trump
presidency is with Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
I haven’t
pulled this rabbit out of a hat: titled “Trump
and the Sultan,” today’s article by New York Times columnist, economist
Thomas L. Friedman, makes the case that “in terms of personality and political
strategy, Erdoğan and Donald Trump were separated at birth.” Such statements
always raise interesting astrological questions, whether they should be taken
at face value or not. Friedman points to the aftermath of this week’s failed
coup in Turkey as the template for strongman governance:
“And the
drama playing out in Turkey today is the story of just how off track a once
successful country can get when a leader who demonizes all his rivals and
dabbles in crazy conspiracy theories comes to believe that he alone is The
Man—the only one who can make his country great again—and ensconces himself in
power.”
Friedman
goes on to catalog the gradual way Erdoğan has dismantled important aspects of
the Turkish democracy in his years in power, turning his term-limited elected
office into a life-long position, harassing and disabling the press and any
real or imagined rivals, using his power to foment hatred against the Kurdish
minority, reinstating religious-based laws in this secular society, and so on.
Parallels
From what
we’ve seen of Trump’s campaign, the potential parallels are many: Trump is clearly
willing to pit groups of people against each other for his agenda; we know he
hates the “dishonest media,” preferring to be his own P.R. man on Twitter; and
we know he’s got a thing about squashing those he deems enemies like bugs.
Even if
you like Trump’s “America first” ideas overall, the rest of the package is
tough. Erdoğan started out in Turkey as a popular leader who helped their
economy and so on—unfortunately, things went sour and Turkey’s much-celebrated
democracy is in peril.
In the
meantime, while Trump and his family enjoy the primetime glow of Cleveland’s
Republican Convention this week, Trump’s loyal subjects are issuing dark
threats on “enemy” Hillary Clinton. From NBC.comnews of July 20th:
“In the
past days, certain political figures have insisted that Clinton committed
treason and they even go so far as to say she should be executed… Baldasaro, a
Trump delegate from the Granite State who has appeared on the campaign trail
with the candidate, made waves on the Jeff
Kuhner Show when he said that Clinton is ‘a piece of garbage’ who should be
‘shot for treason.’”
When
questioned by NBC News,
Baldasaro—“New Hampshire state representative and Trump veterans issues adviser”—stood
by this statement, and according to NBC, a West Virginia delegate and United
Airlines pilot Michael Folk took the threat even further, tweeting on July 16th
(a tweet that was subsequently deleted by Twitter) that:
“[Clinton] should be tried for treason,
murder, and crimes against the US Constitution…then hung on the Mall in
Washington, D.C.”
The
parallels to strongman Erdoğan, who threatens to reinstate Turkey’s death
penalty for those he suspects in the coup attempt against his government, are
pretty chilling. The hallmark of a strongman ruler is the individual’s deeply
held belief that his personal
interests are at one with the
interests of the nation he rules. As
we’ll see, both Erdoğan and Trump fit this mold, astrologically, and both are
now facing a convenient “coup” that helps them consolidate their power.
First,
Erdoğan: to the cheers of Turkish protestors who were “encouraged” to show up
for the display, Erdoğan has been aggressively rounding up a host of potential
enemies who may or may not have had anything to do with the July 15th
coup attempt.
Second,
Trump: thanks to New Jersey’s Chris Christie’s “kangaroo court” call-and-response
rant with the whipped up audience (“Lock her up!”), the Trump camp has spun an eerily
similar narrative, claiming the right to prosecute and dispose of his chief
“enemy” Hillary Clinton. Based on the quotes above from Trump loyalists, the
narrative has already spun off in violent directions.
Bottom
line, positioning themselves as the strongman over their opponents is the modus
operandi of both Erdoğan and Trump. Trump, of course, experienced a staged
“coup” attempt by former primary rival, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) last night at the
Convention, but as commentator Bob Schieffer pointed out this morning on CBS
News, Trump likely knew what Cruz was planning.
If
Schieffer is right, allowing a former rival to issue a non-endorsement on the
main stage amounted to a Trump-sanctioned coup attempt. This could be interpreted
as a display of political grace on Trump’s part, except we know the resulting
“Boo’s” in the audience will have legs. Already there’s a backlash: Trump tweet-boasted that Cruz was "booed off the stage;" one Texas
delegate says Cruz needs to “put his big boy pants on,” and Rep. King is
accusing Cruz of being “narcissistic.” Much more to come, undoubtedly—Cruz will
get his Trump comeuppance.
It’s not
too outrageous a stretch to wonder whether Erdoğan’s coup was a similar, if far more dramatic, ploy to “clean house,” as well. Here’s the latest:
“The 2016
Turkish purges are ongoing
political purges of the judicial, police, educational and other sectors of the Turkish civil service following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état
attempt during the presidency of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Starting on 16 July 2016, 2,745 judges
were dismissed and detained.[1][2] By 20 July 2016, about 50,000 officials
had been dismissed, detained or suspended.[3][4] This took place in the context of a
temporary suspension of the European Convention
on Human Rights and indications that the death
penalty, abolished in
2004, might be reintroduced.”
Let’s
consider the biwheels for the parallel coup attempts.
Biwheel 1: (inner wheel) Natal, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, February 26, 1954, 4:25 a.m. ST, Istanbul, Turkey.
Source: Astrodatabank, rated “C” (source unknown).
Interchart Grand-Square: Coup Saturn (Rx, Sagittarius) conjunct Natal Mars-Moon (Sagittarius)
opposes Natal Jupiter (Gemini); all this is squared by Natal Sun-Mercury-Venus/Coup
Neptune (Pisces) opposite Coup Jupiter-Node (Virgo). Despite some overly-wide orbs, Coup Saturn, Jupiter and
Neptune hold this chaotically tense configuration together, drawing Erdoğan’s
personal points (Sun-Moon-Mercury-Mars-Venus) into the broader social/military
(Virgo) situation and reflecting on his personal, emotional investment in
maintaining authority (Saturn-Jupiter). The emphasis on mutable signs here
echoes Trump’s strident Gemini-Sagittarius energies (which are caught up in the
same grand square dynamics).
Out of
control mutable energies (two interacting
Saturn-Neptune-Jupiter t-squares) tend to seek out “law and order,” and the
overall Grand Square created the pressure cooker energy needed for a dramatic,
violent unfolding of events (Saturn-Mars). The coup may not have failed if
Saturn were transiting direct, so it’s not surprising that Erdoğan rushed to
round up potential enemies and impose emergency/martial law (today) before that happens
in August.
Wide Interchart T-Square: Coup Uranus (Aries) opposes Natal Neptune (Libra) and this axis squares
Coup Pluto-Natal ASC-Node (Capricorn). With
Pluto transiting his 12th house of “hidden enemies,” applying to his
Ascendant, it’s no wonder Erdoğan feels vulnerable; if the threat of violent
victimization (Uranus in Aries opposite his elevated Neptune) didn’t manifest,
he could well have magnetized such a situation to himself with outsized fear
and perhaps, paranoia (a Plutonian delusion common to many strongman types). With
volatile Uranus in his 4th house of inner security, squaring his
Node at the Ascendant, he may have to round up the entire country to feel safe.
Even that may not be enough. Will we have another Syria? A story for another
day.
The attempted "coup" in Cleveland
Biwheel 2: (inner wheel) Natal, Donald J. Trump, June 14, 1946, 10:54 a.m., DST, Jamaica, New York. Rated:
AA (bc in hand); (outer wheel) Radix,
Ted Cruz Speech at RNC, July 20, 2016, 9:00 p.m. (approximate) DST,
Cleveland, Ohio.
Speech Sun
conjoins Trump Saturn-Venus (all Cancer), semi-sextiles Trump Mars-ASC (Leo),
squares Speech Uranus (Aries) and inconjoins Trump Part of Fortune (Aquarius); Fire Grand Trine:
Speech Uranus trines Trump Moon (Sagittarius) and Trump Mars-ASC (Leo). We can take the Speech Sun to represent Ted Cruz here, so
suffice to say, his presence got under Trump’s skin (hitting Trump’s
Venus-Saturn semi-sextile volatile Mars-ASC).
If Trump
did think Cruz was going to endorse him, this speech was a shock (Uranus) that
angered him (Mars-ASC) and ignited his fiery Sagittarian emotional nature
(Moon). Perhaps the most upsetting feature of Cruz’s speech to Trump was this
element of surprise—Trump prides himself on being unpredictable (Aquarius Part
of Fortune), and here the tables were turned on him.
For his part,
Trump did upstage Cruz by showing up with family members at the offending
moment in the speech—eerily similar to the way he somehow managed to fly over
Cruz’s outdoor rally at a crucial moment earlier in the day. Saturn in Cancer
holds grudges, so the story will live on.
Interchart Grand-Square: Speech Mars (Scorpio) opposes Trump MC (Taurus); this axis squares
Trump Mars (Leo) opposite Trump Part of Fortune (Aquarius). This powerful fixed grand square spells trouble—Bil
Tierney’s interpretation is very helpful here:
“The
Fixed Grand Square tends to work its powerful energies out on the will and
desire level, creating inner frustrations often leading to emotional
crises…Here the tendency is to compress feelings and fortify the will to such
an extent that pressures internalize upon the deeper levels of the psyche.” (Dynamics of Aspect Analysis, 1980, pp.
87-88)
Granted,
this interpretation applies to a natal chart, but even in an interchart
grand-square, the importance of emotions and the force of will remain. Here,
Trump’s ambitions (MC), his incredible knack for being in the right place at
the right time (for his agenda—Part of Fortune), not to mention the carefully managed,
“in control” image he projects to the world (Mars-ASC), all feel threatened.
Under a frustrating configuration like this, it’s never surprising when the
native lashes out—it’s either that or repress an internal volcano.
Wide Interchart Grand-Square: Speech Node-Jupiter (Virgo) opposes Speech Neptune (Pisces); this axis
square Speech Saturn opposed to Trump Uranus (Gemini). Even though both oppositions have generous orbs, this configuration is knitted together nicely by the sheer weight Gemini Uranus holds in Trump’s
natal chart (as a powerful, unpredictable part of his 10th house
Gemini Sun-Node-Orcus-Uranus stellium, opposed to his strident Sagittarius Moon
and disposed by his Sun’s ruling planet, Mercury). Jupiter is transiting
Trump’s 1st house, so the candidate is feeling his oats in this
convention, but he’s also feeling the nebulous threat posed by Neptune
transiting his 7th house of “open enemies.” Will he “round them up,”
figuratively, with ever-more-volatile rhetoric?
Speech
Venus-Mercury (Leo) trines Speech Saturn (Sagittarius); Speech Pluto
(Capricorn) opposes Trump Saturn/Venus (midpoint, Cancer), squares Trump
Chiron-Jupiter (Libra) and inconjoins Trump Uranus (Gemini). Pluto’s dreadful baggage is hitting Trump’s chart where
he lives and maintains influence—his sociable, “Old Boy’s Country Club” 5th-11th
axis. With Pluto’s square to his natal Jupiter (ruling his 5th) and
Chiron, it’s possible Cruz’s speech could negatively impact Trump’s powerful
relations—perhaps inspiring an exodus from some quarters—this will be an
interesting possibility to follow. Who would he turn to for support if some of
the more “reputable” figures head for the door? This could open the way for
alliances with more extreme voices than we’ve been seeing (if that’s possible).
Cosmic cousins?
So, in
answer to the title question of this post, are Trump and Erdoğan cosmic cousins of
sorts? Despite obvious differences in their charts, both charts reflect
aggressive, ambitious spirits with strong angular placements. Having more
mutable placements, Erdoğan is perhaps less sure of himself than Trump, but both
men are convinced the world is full of enemies to be overcome. This fact has
made Erdoğan’s fear of losing ground a real centerpiece of his political career
and has confused his personal ambitions with public interests. This is not
unusual with the strong Pisces points in his chart—boundaries between “Me in
here” and “Them out there” are permeable. Interestingly, both men have Uranus
either in the 7th
(Erdoğan) or ruling the 7th
(Trump).
For his
part, Trump identifies an enemy with laser precision (Uranus) and launches his
full-Moon, over-the-top style attack; we’ve seen this repeatedly throughout the
campaign. One well-chosen, demeaning nickname repeated often enough becomes the narrative—true playground-bully tactics. He isn’t going to let up on Hillary Clinton until he’s forced to;
the danger, as pointed out earlier, is in the mob mentality his relentless
screed is producing.
By framing
his personal attack on her as a prosecution of her so-called crimes against the
country, he, like Erdoğan, is conflating personal and collective security interests and acting
out the negative side of his Venus-Saturn in Cancer—again, this mixture is one hallmark of a classical
strongman character. Not surprisingly, Trump has his deep insecurities as well
(a mutable full Moon and Venus-Saturn conjunction need constant reassurance)—just
how many public character assassinations (or worse) will it take to fill his
need?
In the end, strongmen
require loyal subjects who will follow them no matter what their flaws; both Trump
and Erdoğan possess that kind of pull, but there’s always a breaking point. The
Cosmos has a way of catching up with would-be strongmen leaders; unfortunately,
the collective is ever-fascinated with the bravado (and the dark sides) of these characters, and
like the proverbial “frog boil,” before we know what we’ve gotten ourselves
into, we’re cooked.
Raye
Robertson is a practicing astrologer, writer and former university English
instructor. A graduate of the Faculty of Astrological Studies (U.K.), Raye
focuses on mundane, collective-oriented astrology, with a particular interest
in current affairs, culture and media, the astrology of generations, and public
concerns such as education and health. Several of her articles on these topics
have been featured in The Mountain Astrologer and other publications over the
years. Raye can be contacted by comment here, or
at: robertsonraye@gmail.com.
© Raye Robertson 2016. All
rights reserved.
