Trump tariffs – a shoot self in foot decision

The ultimate stress test of Donald Trump’s trade war tariffs will be in the effect on the US economy. Described by the FT as an “absurdity” it is regarded as a pointless self-inflicted injury which will raise prices for American families and deliver a shock to North American and world economies. “They are being used as a coercive tool to further Trump’s domestic political agenda and extract concessions from American neighbours that may be beyond their power to give.”

  There is a backlash from business groups and some Republicans warning that the new tariffs  would push up prices for ordinary Americans and cause chaos in supply chains. “The president is right to focus on major problems like our broken border and the scourge of fentanyl, but the imposition of tariffs . . . won’t solve these problems” said John Murphy, senior vice-president of the US Chamber of Commerce, the US’s largest business group. 

  The US Federal Reserve Bank, 16 November 1914 9 am Washington, is under greater pressure than it has seen for decades as tr Neptune Saturn squares the Saturn Pluto at one degree Cancer from May 2025 onwards till early 2027 which will be panicky and uncertain. With added shocks and insecurity from tr Uranus opposition the Mars from June 2026 into 2027. 2026/27 also have tr Pluto square the Uranus/Neptune midpoint which tends to be associated with calamities and catastrophes.

  Trump won’t care about other stock markets but the UK FTSE, 3 January 1984 10 am London rather ominously has its Solar Arc Saturn moving to dampen its high-flying Jupiter Neptune within weeks on the same degree and then on for several years – so not a progressive phase.

  Equally the German DAX, 1 July 1998, is unnerved this month with tr Pluto conjunct the Neptune and square Saturn, returning later in the year; with an unsettled 2026.

 The Bank of Canada, 11 March 1935, isn’t showing much before a jangled 2026. The Toronto Stock Exchange is pressured through this year and next.

Relations between Canada and the USA are not surprisingly under heavy pressure this year and worse in 2026 with tr Pluto square the composite Saturn and then tr Neptune Saturn square the composite Neptune.  

 Relations between Canada and the UK are confused and undermined at the moment and throughout 2025 with tr Pluto conjunct the composite Neptune – and worse in 2026 and on for a few years. With tr Neptune opposition the composite Saturn and then conjunct the Sun Pluto. Not an amiable end to the decade.

52 thoughts on “Trump tariffs – a shoot self in foot decision”

  1. I had been hearing that globalisation is dead for some years. For those interested, Morris Chang founder of TSMC had said in 2022, “Globalisation is almost dead, Free Trade is almost dead.” (Nikei Asia)
    In March 2023, he said Globalisation is dead, at least for chips, and free trade is almost dead. (Bloomberg) (Reuter July 2023)

    Looks like it is going to be a hard awakening for a lot of people when March (Neptune Saturn into Aries) comes. Peace.

  2. I know I still get surprised by how often astrologers reflexively blame Trump. Do the stars actually influence events or not? Trump is a man not a god setting the stars in their places.

    We had a major alignment in 2020 which I record as January 12, 2020 at 11:57 am over Washington DC. Capricorn Pluto and Saturn all lined up with the Sun, Ceres and Mercury all lined up in America’s second house. Government influenced American wealth.

    The previous alignment in 1982 occurred in Libra in America’s tenth house. Trade & the government

    Free trade is over, it was over in 2020. The entire world has moved on. Demographics are failing worldwide. Trade imbalances are rampant.

    Trump tariffs are just one part of a bigger trend. His starting a sovereign wealth fund is another clear signal that he is responding to the Capricorn second house. Right now, American wealth is what the government is focused on and the second house is not about sharing.

    If the stars have any influence, of course, than Trump has to work in concert with American wealth. This is not the house of sharing wealth.

    Americans and actually everyone seems to have forgotten, America is not a country like the states of the world. It is an republican empire. America has the strongest fifty state economic free trade agreement in the world. Most Americans don’t even realize they are leaving their country when they move to another state.

    Isolation has worked for America in the past and it was in isolation America grew the power necessary to be the superpower. Our involvement with the world drains our resources. I don’t think America will be totally isolationist but, if that does become the outcome, it is nothing for Americans to dread.

    • @Lumiere, ‘to work in concert’, well, there’s an idiom I’ve last seen used in the English language around the same time mercantilism was all the rage. I really appreciate that you use this poetic language rather than the corporate jargon. But let me just put it this way, what you propose here isn’t going to happen because the US corporations are VERY reliant on the growth in foreign markets, and actually, President Trump clearly wants that too. He wants to import American goods and services to the rest of the World. In his mind, America can’t be great if it isn’t seen by the other.

      And isolationism is, fundamentally, also against American ethos as the country. The Sadgittarius Ascendant of the Sibly chart is about expanding, about being seen. That wont change.

      • “He wants to *export*, of course.” What ever twisted idea of trade deficit DJT has, he clearly wants to be selling America to other countries. Finland, with our Sadgittarius Sun is surprisingly in the “good” book for him, despite the US’s abysmal trade deficit with Finland.

        • @Solaia Glad you liked working in concert, I use it all the time and never thought of it as idiom or where it came from.

          I’m not disagreeing with your premise about US corporations except in one aspect you say “are VERY reliant on growth in foreign markets” and I would say they “have been” reliant on growth in foreign markets. I’m suggesting we are undergoing a major shift. What has been, will no longer be.

          The main issue is foreign markets won’t hold much growth going forward, the underlying demographics won’t support much.

          Germany is in a pickle. They are breaking down their factories and sending them to the US to be rebuilt here for two reasons; energy and a workforce, neither of which the fatherland has.

          I believe I saw the Japanese Softbank CEO announcing $50 billion investment while Trump was dunning the man to double it.

          A few days ago Trump said he would visit Saudi Arabia for 500 billion investment/purchase in the US or US goods which was immediately followed by MBS calling and offering 600 billion. Now it looks like the UK might not get the first courtesy Presidential visit.

          This is how 2020 Capricorn Saturn-Pluto which I call the glyph of Perseus is playing out for the US. I’m not sure how it is playing out for other countries but I am interested in that, I just have not done the research.

          I’m not sure why Finland might be liked by Trump. He has a Sagittarius Moon. I can’t speak to how Americans view Finns as it is not a normal topic that is discussed but I always think of Finns as tough motherf**k*rs which is not an insult in the American dialect it is a very high compliment. I’m pretty sure that comes from watching how the Finns carry themselves in the Winter Olympics.

        • @Virginia: A scorp asc would be very painful to neighbors and inhabitants. I’m sun-scorp, and I’ve known plently of sun-scorps and scorp risings. Most of them were not nice people – takes some real insight and taming to focus properly.

          • “A scorp asc would be very painful to neighbors and inhabitants.”

            I think you may just have proven Virginia’s point about a Scorpio ascendant.

            Manifest destiny and the US’s less than flattering treatment of Native Americans is proof of the pain to its neighbours. As for inhabitants, may I point out the history of slavery (holding inhabitants as property and in bondage) and the generally terrible living conditions of people in the bottom half of the income spread?

          • @Unmystic Mom
            ‘…… US’s less than flattering treatment of Native Americans is proof of the pain to its neighbour’ Aren’t Native Americans inhabitants?

          • @Jennifer E

            Native American tribes still have an element of domestic sovereignity within the US and work at a government-to-government level, concluding treaties, etc with the US.

            So, to an extent, they are “foreign” to the US. Indeed, even after the 14th Amendment, Native Americans born in the US were not US citizens till the passage of the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924.

            I think I saw a post by @Lumiere about second chances and the past. I do not doubt that countries get a second chance. I’m merely pointing out that a Scorpio ascendant fits in with the history of the US so far.

            Indeed, Sagittarius as the second house makes more sense to me, with lawyers and the higher education sector (Sagittarius) being particularly wealthy (2nd house) in the US.

        • @Virginia I’ve seen that before. For me, Americans are too open to be Scorpio Ascendants. To be Scorpio Ascendants, the American character would present as secretive.

          I think what you might see in the American character that is Scorpio is the hypersensitivity to threats but that is possibly a read on Scorpio in the 12h. The nebulous subconscious feeling of a threat.

  3. I realise there is an understandable degree of alarm but can I reiterate this is an astrology website. Facts are helpful for context but otherwise astrology only. Opinions and venting need to be directed elsewhere.

  4. A month of bluster on both sides and it turns out the Trudeau will merely follow through on the $1.3 billion border plan (over 6 years) which he announced when this all started in December.

    The one brilliant new element announced today was listing the cartels as terrorists, as well as the launching of a joint USA Canada strike force. Up until this point, case after case of these extensive drug operations has collapsed in one way or another. There is quite the potential to finally attend to this scourge.

    Reporter Sam Cooper has been writing for years over how Canadian banks function for global money-laundering. TD was recently fined $3B US after pleading guilty in historic U.S. money-laundering case. It’s not too hard to imagine how our other big banks might be likewise exposed.

    There’s been much chatter regarding the Canadian border as less of a worry in general.

    The smaller numbers betray a harsh reality. Notably, it has been found that 86% of all terrorists stopped at the US border in 2023/24 were apprehended at the Canada border. Furthermore, a staggering 90% of these terrorists had legal status in Canada, either living in Canada or having stopped over in the country and obtained Canadian legal status.

    Considering how Canada has neglected its obligations (NATO & NORAD as well as border security or security in general) for so many years, it’s no wonder that the USA feels the need to “check our homework” on these files.

    • “Notably, it has been found that 86% of all terrorists stopped at the US border in 2023/24 were apprehended at the Canada border. Furthermore, a staggering 90% of these terrorists had legal status in Canada, either living in Canada or having stopped over in the country and obtained Canadian legal status.”

      PC…. please share where you are getting these numbers from.
      Thank-you.

      • FIRST READING: Canada yielding 87 per cent of all terror suspects stopped at U.S. border crossings

        358 intercepted in the last year, as compared to just 52 from Mexico

        National Post, Published Nov 29, 2024

  5. Most of the comments on this site are just political opinions. It’s getting worse and worse. Please can this site return to an educational and informative source for people interested in astrology. Thanks.

  6. Trump has no mandate in America, he received 1.5% more votes that late campaign of Kamala Harris and less than 50% of the popular vote. Many Americans dislike him and we are not going back to when only white males had any power or rights. His true motive is to make the billionaires richer and to create an oligarchy. This cannot be allowed to happen.

    • The possibility of being forced to use crypto and have digital money controlled by Elon is so frightening. Have to calm
      myself down. Hope it doesn’t come to pass.

        • Respectfully, how? Six hackers broke multiple state and federal laws affecting millions of citizens. No arrests. Who would make arrests, anyway? The DOJ, FBI? Doesn’t look like it. Will protesters get hurt or worse? Americans need to be prudent and safe.

  7. You may have heard of incidents over the weekend where the American national anthem has been booed by sports fans in Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto attending National Hockey League and National Basketball games featuring opponents from teams based in American cities. Some have been documented on YouTube. Supposedly, this disrespect demonstrated to the playing or singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the start of a game is to show Canadian solidarity and anger for the Trump Administration’s announcement of tariffs against Canada, but this Canadian doesn’t approve.

    I would much rather have the fans chant anti-Trump insults than insult all Americans by disrespecting their anthem, one that doesn’t belong to MAGA alone. More than half of Americans did not cast a ballot for Trump in the 2024 presidential election, and frankly, MAGA has misappropriated enough American symbols such as the flag, the eagle and Uncle Sam. Besides, there is not a single Canadian-based team in the NHL or NBA whose roster does not feature American players, and the NHL teams in Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa each have American team captains.

    I have mentioned these incidents just to give you all an idea of the anger and sense of betrayal that is felt by Trump’s unjust and unfair imposition of tariffs on Canadian goods and his belligerent comments concerning our national sovereignty. We don’t want to be a fifty-first state, and we resent being told by a grifter and convicted felon that we’re ripping off the United States on account of running because a modest trade surplus with the U.S.

    Previously, Canadians in Toronto have completed the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” before Toronto Maple Leafs games when a singer performing the American anthem had her microphone cut out. This has happened in hockey games versus the Nashville Predators in 2014 and last season against the Buffalo Sabres, and there are clips on YouTube as proof. It just goes to show the depth of the anger of Canadians and how drastically circumstances have changed with the present Trump Administration (mis)governing the United States when a crowd watching a basketball game played in the very same venue — Scotiabank Arena — could boo the American national anthem yesterday prior to start of the game between the Toronto Raptors and the Los Angeles Clippers.

    • I agree that the Canadians should not have booed the American national anthem. Instead they should have sung the Canadian Royal Anthem (God save the King) back.

  8. Trump is a case study in how Uranus can function as a *first class malefic*. Shock, rebel, de-stabilize, crumble. If I have to liken it to tarot cards- he swings between ‘the fool’ and ‘the tower’.
    It’s very unfortunate, the whole of GoP seem fixated on an ideology that’s 100 years in the past and has no place in the present/future. So, they’re unable to contain Trump.
    Astrologically, the US may lose its ‘global superpower’ status completely within a decade. Americans may be more focused on nation building (similar to what happened after the civil war). But what kind of a nation? Remains to be seen. The world does not have statesmen like Lincoln or Churchill etc leading the government. We have oligarchs and theocrats.
    Who will take the place of a global superpower?
    multiple contenders for sure..there are the Saudi who operate in the shadows. There’s China who operates openly. And Russia who’s always lurking in the corner. India could be a superpower through sheer numbers as its the youngest and most populous nation in the world.
    Astrologically, the world at large seems to be in for major upheaval starting mid 2025 lasting until at least 2029 or so. Jupiter has been speed running through signs since 2020, and it seems to correlate with major events around the world accelerating and escalating.
    Not necessarily a net negative from a birds eye view, but definitely worrisome as we go through it on a day to day basis.

    • ” an ideology that’s 100 years in the past and has no place in the present/future.”

      Nothing happens for the first time. Most ideas, especially political theories and ideologies, repeat regularly throughout history. What has occurred in the past will repeat in the future.

  9. Tariffs are essentially selective taxes on certain types or sources of consumption. Prior to the Second World War US governments often used them as a means of raising revenue and promoting domestic production. In fact the Tariff of 1789 was one of the first pieces of legislation passed by the US Congress. Before 1913 tariffs were the primary source of the Federal Government’s income. The USA did not really become a proponent of free trade until after 1945.

    The chart for the first US tariff passed on 6 July 1789 has Sun at 14 Leo, Venus at 24 Cancer, Mercury retrograde at 28 Cancer, Uranus at 3 Leo Jupiter at 4 Leo, Neptune at 20 Libra, Moon in late Sagittarius, Pluto retrograde at 18 Aquarius, Saturn retrograde at 23 Pisces and Mars at 2 Gemini. The Venus, Mercury, Uranus and Jupiter in the 1789 chart trigger the second term Trump inauguration chart. They are also being activated by the current Mars retrograde. The Saturn in the 1789 Tariff chart will be impacted from March 2025 by the transit of Saturn and the Venus retrograde. The Tariff Act was passed only 8 days before the commencement of the French Revolution so it picks up a lot of the same influences.

    I personally don’t think Trump’s tariffs will work because in a world of largely floating exchange rates the currencies of the countries impacted will end up devaluing against the dollar largely negating the impact. Having made that criticism I think there is actually a serious point raised by Trump’s action. The USA has been running a persistent trade/current account deficits for some time now and it is arguable whether sustainable in the long run. The world basically relies on certain countries such as the USA to act as consumers of last resort for their goods and services. This has lead to quite a lot of economic dislocation in these nations as whole industries have been wiped out as a consequence and many workers have been thrown on the scrapheap with major long term impacts on communities. It is very easy to deride Trump for the way he exploits this issue but it behoves his critics to come up with alternatives for limiting the USAs ever expanding trade deficit and the resulting negative side effects. One alternative to tariffs was proposed in an unsuccessful bill by Tammy Hawley and Josh Baldwin in 2019 which proposed taxing capital inflows into the USA trade deficits are by their nature balanced out by foreign surpluses being recycled into the USA which was the recipient of over 40% the worlds international savings in 2024). At the very least the world trading nations need to come up with a system of managing trade and capital flows that does not rely on one country taking on ever more debt to make it work.

    • I would suggest an alternative that was mooted by Mr Bernanke when he eas chairman of the Federal Reserve. He pointed out that the deficit in the US balance was the contra of savings by Chinese private citizens. Perhaps Americans should be encouraged to buy US Treasuries in greater numbers using tax incentives. This would probably reduce bond yields as well since the spread of US interest rates over German bunds would reduce. Currently 20% of US government debt is held by overseas holders, who demand a higher rate of interest to hedge the foreign exchange risk inherent in holding US dollars.

      Exactly the same arguments apply to the UK as well where 31% of gilts are held by overseas holders.

      It is uncanny that 10 government bonds in both the US and UK currently hover about 5%, whereas bund yields are are currently 2-2.5%.

      • Of course, keep in mind that when the bond yield inverts, when the short-term (2 year) yields are higher than the long-term (10 year) yields, you can non-astrologically predict a recession.

        Overseas money is invested in UK and US gilts because their governments are trusted over the long-term. Destroy that trust (as Trump is doing so well) and overseas money will leave fairly quickly.

        Imagine what havoc China can do to the US economy by unloading its huge holding of US gilts on the international financial market suddenly. That may make overseas money flee the US, massively devaluing the US dollar and causing a global meltdown, while causing massive inflation in the US.

    • Thanks Hugh, I would have to admit that global economics is not my area but to add to your cogent thoughts there’s a decent piece in today’s Times from Juliet Samuel.
      “His actions may look like the aggressive outbursts of a deranged old man but it would be more accurate to describe them as the tremors of an earthquake, coming thanks to an unbearable build-up of imbalances in the global economy.
      The imbalance has its roots in China’s decision to follow Japan and South Korea in becoming the world’s factory. Because of China’s size, the effect of its industrial policies has been devastating to any country that failed to respond in kind, hijacking the entire system hitherto known as “free trade”. The result is that the share of American (and British) GDP generated by manufacturing has been cratering for decades.
      What is to be done? Trump’s reaction is to start marauding around the world randomly slapping tariffs on countries like parking tickets. This is not the answer. A tariffs-based response that has any hope of turning the tide would have to involve a coalition of similarly affected countries all agreeing to impose high tariffs on China and other economies that heavily subsidise industry, such as Germany.
      https://www.thetimes.com/comment/columnists/article/trumps-tariffs-and-the-truth-about-free-trade-0wnf8nr96

  10. When do things improve between Canada and US? In 2027? And what happens after improvement? Maybe a golden era? Fingers crossed. Thanks.

  11. “…the UK FTSE, 3 January 1984 10 am London rather ominously has its Solar Arc Saturn moving to dampen its high-flying Jupiter Neptune within weeks on the same degree and then on for several years…”

    I read an article stating that people are moving their gold reserves from British banks to American banks. Maybe that’s the manifestation of this astrological transit.

    • I find this rather puzzling as British banks under Rachel from Accounts and the BOE are probably safer than their US counterparts under Mr Trump. Remember that SVB went bust in part because Mr Trump eased the regulatory requirements on smaller banks.

      • @Patritius
        Thank you for your comments, do you have any Saggitarius in your chart, I just love your reference re Rachel from accounts and don’t forget flip flop Keir.

  12. Ironic really. The US is about to experience its own version of Brexit, cutting itself off from its neighbours and major trading partners. We know how that’s worked out. Self harm can only be the result when idealism is put before pragmatism. And bullying may give the protagonist a short term gain but the long term is almost always one of loss. A pity this misery and confusion is going to drag on till the end of the decade and perhaps even beyond. Welcome to West China everyone. Because with the US weakened there will be even more opportunity for expansion for the Red Dragon.

    • The UK has not raised tariffs on its EU neighbours as a consequence of Brexit. In fact the main change is that Britain has dropped something like 13% of the tariffs it was required to raise under the EU General Tariff on the rest of the world.

      • And it didn’t help the UK, did it? Best to remain on good terms with your neighbours, even when there are issues between you. But thank you for your erudite insights Hugh, much appreciated.

        • You overlook that our major markets in Europe are stagnating. In fact Germany is in a much worse situation than Blighty. This is their third year of contraction and little or no prospect of recovery.

          Perhaps that is one of the reasons of our economic malaise.

  13. Apparently, Mexican import tariffs postponed by a month. Don’t know what magic Sheinbaum used there, I think it might be related to California fires and need of their workforce.

    Canadians aren’t playing, though, and I think the EU should take their approach, rather than that of Mexico when Trump will inevitable return to imposing tariffs to us.

    Because I don’t know what it is, but Trump seems to be extremely fixated on couple of things: His negation tactic being exclusively based on scarcity and tariffs being good. Astrologically, I think this is his 11th house Cancer Mercury square 2nd house Libra Neptune: He sees and hears what he wants and isn’t prone ro changing his mind.

    • That Mercury/Neptune square will be under the influence of transting Saturn and Neptune over the next few years. I wonder what will happen to Trump’s own mental clarity and acuity as well in regard to this transit.

      Is it just me or does 2026/27 look rather intense all round for various key players no matter which side they’re on? Other countries and institutions have been discussed here and in previous posts, but IIRC none of Trump’s cabinet look exactly happy then, Trump himself doesn’t seem too upbeat either. Nor does Musk.

      • @SD: My guess on Musk is that he will eventually do something really stupid outside the US, for instance, Roman salute crowd in Germany, and get arrested. He is clearly spiralling mentally, more so than Trump, whose decline has been steady but not particularly fast He actually seems to be doing better now than during the campaign, the stress of travelling across time zones and legal battles was clearly getting to him.

        • I read today that Tesla’s latest quarterly earnings fell from $5.6bn to 2.3bn. Apparently the quality and sustainability of those earnings are questionable.

          His takeover of Twitter has been a financial disaster

          Maybe Chapter 11 beckons

          • i presume you mean twitter x not tesla. earnings down post ad boycott which now winding down. While X’s revenue is about half of what it used to be, the company’s costs are just about a quarter of what they were before.So profitability much improved.
            As per the WSJ, investors noted that these were better figures than they had anticipated.As far from ch 11 as can be. Also it is now a private company which will likely never need to float again thus benefitting a small pool of interested investors.

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