Peter
Pan in Midlife
Every
fourteen years, Donald Trump considers settling down. In 1987 he
made a pass at the Oval Office—and by Election Day 2001, he
will have flirted with it again. Mind you, this attempt at
settling down has little to do with actually being the
president, but more to do with raising funds as a presidential
candidate can. Indeed, he will be able to reap many rewards from
dallying at the threshold of the White House, primarily
acquiring yet more virtual money.
There
is potential for everyone to find their own shadow in Donald
Trump. It isn't him, the Donald-at-home, that invites
projection. It is his image that is loved or hated. He has
created an IMAX screen on which the general public might
project their own movie. He's a legend in his own mind.
A
Fire-Air Chart
What
makes this man so periodically enormous, yet constantly in view?
The fuel that propels Trump is a combination of fire and
air—literally, heat and talk. All but three of his planets are
in fire or air signs. What gives Trump his ability to harness
these elements and create an image of wealth and largesse,
allowing him to play in the sandbox with the bigger boys? Fate,
largely, but time, circumstances and personality have aided this
man in his life-play.
Trump
has created a cult of personality that is crafted in perfect
response and accord with the grosser material values of modern
America. He is the exemplar of the Great White American Male
Capitalist Iconoclast. He is a rebel and a trickster, where his
eccentricities are portrayed as desirable assets—the amusing
boy, the clever player.
Building
an Empire with Venus and Saturn
Astrologically,
Venus, the dual goddess of love and wealth, is arm in arm with
Saturn, the dual god both of success and penury, in Trump’s
chart. This combination is the leading factor underlying his
monument building—his creation of huge, lavish eponymous
structures. His propensity for grandiose baroque environments is
a reflection of his own interior life—inflated, ostentatious
and hugely expensive. His need to monumentalize and immortalize
his image underlies his apparently carefree lifestyle.
There
is nothing carefree about Donald Trump. Venus and Saturn
conjunct in the sign Cancer hide a secret side to him, one that
is vulnerable to emotional attack (Venus in Cancer) and fearful
of criticism (Saturn), all the while inviting it as a stimulant.
His need for control (Saturn) limits his ability to experience
and express feelings (Venus), thus, he is a man of ideas and
action, with instincts that are raw and primitive, more like a
predatory animal than new age man.
It is
that same aspect of Saturn and Venus that describes his real
feelings about people: when he is finished with a person,
project or idea, he discards it as quickly as he courted it.
When the usefulness of something (Saturn) is over, so is that
something.
Donald
Trump's pursuit both of love and money is legendary—but the
prime motivation behind that search is one of fear—fear of not
getting or deserving either (Saturn). That he surrounds himself
with artifacts and artifice reflects his eternal boy, longing
for approval and a loving hug from mommy. That his surrogate
mothers are all animate dolls—beauty queens and models—is a
testimony to more monument building.
Emperor
Trump
Trump
has the horoscope of a Roman emperor. Having Leo Rising with
Mars in the First House, he is aware of the roles that are
played out on the modern stage. Sensitive to appearances, his is
largely a public face, but one in which he genuinely believes.
There is little in the way of phoneyness in his horoscope, which
means he really believes in who he appears to be! His story is
the story of Narcissus, the beautiful boy who fell in love with
his image in the pond. To Donald, all the world is a pool in
which he might see himself reflected.
A
Fluid Public Image
Trump
sees life as an adventure in transformation, adaption and
ability to be fluid. Without his Moon in Sagittarius opposite to
Uranus, he would not be as immensely fortunate, or so
emotionally able to disengage (Uranus) from circumstances.
Even
in the throes of bankruptcy, his self-assigned role was to come
out on top and embark on yet another adventure, regardless of
the individuals in the wings. His resurrection was of biblical
proportion. It is unusual to enhance one's image by being a
major loser. His spectacular downfall added to his glamorous
image by dint of his reclaiming his borrowing power. By being so
deeply unable to pay his debts, he had more power over his
creditors than they over him!
Trump
is a player, a boy who feels threatened if he is not free to
take extreme risks and bolt when he feels the pressure of
responsibility to actual people. There is a part of Trump that
has no concern for others—no real concern for the human
dilemma, because he earnestly and sincerely believes in the game
of life, not the purpose of life.
President
Trump?
It is
very unlikely that Trump will see the White House as home—in
fact, it is highly unlikely that he wants it. He would loathe
being the president of the United States. It would require
innate characteristics that he simply doesn't have. Mind you, if
he could be president, but have an attendant or a V.P. who would
do all the gruntwork and be present for the sheer, boring,
bureaucratic labor of the job, lose sleep for him and care on
his behalf, then maybe. But, no, he would not be free to move
quickly, play hard, and enjoy his remarkably secretive life.
His
real claim to power is that he exemplifies the epitome of modern
American values. He is a living, breathing icon to the credo
that the power of money can create anything, and destroy
anything. You can be a presidential candidate if you have enough
money. Money can buy perfection, impeccable appearances, lavish
surroundings, power, amusement, toys, love, or at least
seduction, and it certainly buys Donald a lot of
attention—just what he needs so very much!
In
times of social chaos, archetypal figures like Donald Trump emerge
to show the collective just what their culture has bred. The fact
is that the detached, unemotional game of shifting finances fits his
nature better than the presidency does.