



MCarthyism was an oddity of 20th Century American history which was a pointer to a panicky and gullible streak within the national temperament, allowing public and politicians to be caught up for a time by strident and often dishonest attacks. Mcarthy insisted that communists had infiltrated the United States federal government, universities, film industry, the armed forces. “In the ’50s, institution after institution bowed down to the Red Scare, whether it was school districts, universities, libraries, law firms, Hollywood movie studios — the elite organisations all bent the knee to the red-baiters.” He caused havoc from 1950 to 1954 until he was censured and retreated into alcoholism.
The difference to the present situation is that MCarthy was a junior Senator and not a White House administration. But the pattern is relatively similar given the recent co-ordinated push to intimidate and stifle critical voices and Trump’s campaigns against leading universities, media companies and law firms.
One commentator said: “What makes the Republican and conservative hypocrisy so depressing is that, at a time when free speech in the west needs thoughtful defenders, its self-proclaimed champions have revealed themselves as posturing partisans. But perhaps the only surprise is their lack of pretence.”
McCarthy, born 14 November 1908 3pm Grand Chute, Wisconsin, left school early though returned later to college for a law degree and served in the Marine Corps though saw little active service. ‘Some of his claims of heroism were later shown to be exaggerated or falsified.’
He had an intense, obsessive 8th house Scorpio Sun. And more significantly had the Uranus opposition Neptune of the time on his MC/IC axis. There is an irrationally fanatical side to Uranus Neptune which he clearly lived out; which can be inspired but also obdurately stubborn even when faced with incontrovertible evidence he was wrong. This opposition squared onto Mars Venus in Libra, making him verbally combative and emotionally erratic. Plus his Mars was in an enraged, can-be-ruthless trine to Pluto.
When he started his high-profile campaign to root out reds-under-the-bed in early 1950, Uranus was just into Cancer about to move with considerable disruption across the USA Venus, Jupiter, Sun in Cancer in the following years. In 1950 the USA Solar Arc North Node was exactly conjunct the USA Pluto (opposition Mercury) – which is the indicator on the USA chart of an attraction for demagogues ( = a political leader who seeks support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people rather than by using rational argument.)
McCarthy’s relationship chart with the USA had a hyper-emotional, publicity-attracting composite Mars Neptune Venus conjunction. Tr Pluto was in a trapped, enraging conjunction to the composite Mars when he departed the scene in 1954.
There are not many similarities between McCarthy and Trump astrologically = apart from a North Node in Gemini which can produce a tendency to be wild and wayout. But Trump’s first term did have tr Uranus square the USA Mercury opposition Pluto, as he set about following his mentor and McCarthy acolyte Roy Cohn’s playbook of ‘attack, attack and never apologise.’
Trump’s relationship chart with the USA is also different from McCarthy’s though it has a similar chained-together Saturn Pluto aspect. The DT/USA composite Neptune is catching the upcoming Virgo Solar Eclipse this month for muddle and indecision and the uncertain tr Saturn Neptune opposition the composite Neptune continues throughout this winter. Where it shows further signs of sagging public support is from late April 2026 onwards with tr Neptune undermining the composite Sun by square; with more rising tensions from July 2026 into 2027 as tr Uranus squares the composite Saturn. During this time tr Neptune Saturn will have early in 2026 squared the USA financial Venus moving on to lower national confidence further in 2027 as tr Neptune squares the USA Jupiter. Again not like McCarthy but a definite slide downhill.
At the time of McCarthy, former president Harry Truman lamented “the rise to power of the demagogue who lives on untruth; it is the spread of fear and the destruction of faith in every level of our society.” A Post reporter described “a period of national turmoil. It was the closest we ever came to a real totalitarian atmosphere.” It wasn’t the media who brought McCarthy down since they’d been exposing his lies in the preceding years. In rural and low-income areas, he was deemed to have been unfairly vilified and gained support. Ultimately it was when the politicians turned against him and there was sufficient of an upswell of public opinion that his platform was demolished.
One point in the USA chart is noteworthy which is the Saturn in Libra which at best is fair-minded, promotes social responsibility, balance, justice and cooperation. Cohn’s Pluto in Cancer was square it; and McCarthy’s Uranus (opposition Neptune) was also exactly square. Trump’s financial Jupiter is conjunct the USA Saturn which could be positive but in the circumstances appears to be leaning more towards allowing financial considerations to trump fairness.


































