Trump Tariffs Back in the News

By Christeen Skinner

At Donald Trump’s inauguration on 20 January 2025, the astrology pointed to conflict. A Grand Cross — a tense alignment of four planets at right angles to one another — was active at the time, with Mars at 24 Cancer forming one corner of the pattern.

In astrological terms, that configuration suggested strain, confrontation and competing pressures. It also appeared to foreshadow the trade disputes that later came to dominate the political and economic agenda, as depicted by Mercury, ruler of commerce, opposed Mars.

Now, that same pattern is being reactivated.  As Jupiter moves across Mars’ position in the inauguration chart — a chart often read as reflecting the administration’s intentions and priorities — pressure is once again building around the same fault lines. At the same time, tariffs have returned to the headlines.

On June 3rd, the Trump administration announced a new round of tariffs aimed at almost 60 countries, with 10% across the board for goods shipped from Canada, Mexico and the EU, and a whopping 25% levelled against Brazil, in retaliation for trade practices it deems “unreasonable.”  At the same time, the administration filed an appeal challenging the Court of International Trade’s March 4th ruling that the US government must pay refunds on $166 billion in tariffs found to be illegal by the US Supreme Court. 

The wider pattern runs from Chiron at 19 Aries to Mars at 24 Cancer, then to the Moon at 18 Libra and Mercury at 18 Capricorn. According to this reading, those degrees remain highly sensitive.

Further triggers lie ahead. Venus reaches Mars’ position next week, while Mercury, turning retrograde in June, opposes its original place three times: 15 June, 15 July and 31 July. That points to a prolonged period in which tariff policy could remain politically charged, repeatedly revisited, and difficult to settle.

The first immediate test comes on 4 June, when Venus forms hard aspects to Chiron and the Moon while directly opposing Mercury. Astrologically, that suggests a sharp escalation in rhetoric and renewed volatility around trade. Thursday could bring a fresh burst of tariff drama, though not necessarily decisive action.

That may be the wider pattern over the weeks ahead: noise first, resolution later. Once Mercury’s retrograde cycle (beginning June 29^th) is fully in play, the emphasis may shift toward reversals, delays, mixed signals and drawn-out negotiation rather than firm outcomes.

The longer-term turning point may not arrive until April 2027, when Saturn reaches 19 Aries. In astrology, Saturn is associated with structure, limits and accountability — suggesting that the more serious consequences of current trade battles may only become clear then.

For now, the message is simpler: this tariff story is not over. On this astrological reading, the same pressures that marked the start of the administration are back in motion.