James Mattis, Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, is reportedly unhappy about selection for other positions in his arena being made without his input. Billionaire Wall Street businessman Vincent Viola had been named as the pick for secretary of the army. Viola’s high-frequency trading firm has a record of violating the rules of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act, the Nasdaq Stock Market, the New York Stock Exchange and other exchanges.
Mattis, 8 September 1950, who despite his nickname of Mad Dog, and forthright comments about fighting, was the one nominee whom the Democrats and Republicans alike deemed a sensible pair of hands, likely to rein in Trump’s wilder impulses. He never did look remotely happy moving ahead. A serious Sun Saturn in Virgo, with his Saturn square Trump’s Gemini Sun opposition Sagittarius Moon and trine DT’s midheaven, he’d certainly act as a check on the President’s scattergun, off-beam and provocative approach to foreign policy. Though whether that would be welcome is a different matter.
Mattis’s Venus in Leo is conjunct DT’s Ascendant which will help to soften relations – but both are getting elbowed sharply by the August 2017 Leo Eclipse.
Mattis looks enfuriated this month with tr Pluto square his Sun/Mars and highly agitated as he contemplates disaster with tr Uranus opposition his Mars/Saturn. The former repeats until January 2018. He’s also got a depressed, uphill-slog tr Pluto trine his Sun/Saturn and sextile his determined Mars in Scorpio in 2017/18 from this February onwards. Plus a loss-making tr Neptune square his Jupiter/Saturn midpoint which sometimes undermines careers through 2017. What will rattle his cage significantly is Solar Arc Uranus conjunct his Sun late in 2017 or early 2018. Plus an even tougher and discouraging two years of challenge with tr Pluto trine his Saturn in 2018/19. Not a happy camper.
His relationship chart with Trump has an intense composite Pluto conjunct Venus on one side, Mercury Saturn on the other, so lashed together by circumstances which tends to cause resentment, though is fitting for a war-partnership; but there’s also one-wins-the-other loses composite Mars Neptune conjunction, so not an easy match.
James Clapper in his testimony before congress this week tried to offer reassurance. to Americans concerned about their country’s security under a Trump administration. “It will be all right” he said.
He had to be kidding.
I feel much safer for it. I’ll sleep soundly.
The first time in my life I’ve been utterly baffled by a cabinet. Vincent Viola as Secretary of the Army? What does he bring to the table? It must involve money, and lots of it, going into a select few pockets. Which it sounds like he has mastered.
He did five years in the armed forces way back when. But quite agree, sounds astonishing.
“Pick me! Pick me! I’m an imaginary Sergeant with three months experience!”