Rex Tillerson, chief executive of Exxon Mobil, has been nominated for US secretary of state. Though his confirmation hearing is likely to be a rocky given his close ties to Russia, his deliberate downplaying of climate change and various controversial oil deals in Canada, Northern Iraq and associations with countries abroad with poor human rights records.
Born 23 March 1952 in Wichita Falls, Texas, he’s an upfront, pro-active Sun Aries with a fearsomely determined and ruthless Pluto square Mars in Scorpio; and a confident, pushy Jupiter in Aries trine Pluto. A big personality. His Sun opposes Saturn in Libra squaring onto an innovative/divisive Uranus in Cancer. With his Jupiter Mercury in Aries in a high-finance opposition to Neptune.
His Sun, Mercury and Jupiter fall in Trump’s 8th so a strong financial connection. His Venus Moon in Pisces are in Trump’s 7th which is good for a friendly connection/partnership. Though his Mars Pluto square does rather tangle with Trump’s Mars Pluto. It’ll be a robust working association with Tillerson bluntly straight talking, making unexpected suggestions about new experimental approaches.
Their relationship chart is friendly with a composite Sun Venus though that squares Pluto, which will be a tight connection at the start, moving into power struggles about who gets the last word. There’s also a non-mutually supportive composite Mars Neptune, which suggests egos will get in the way. Two alpha males. There’s nothing much ruffling the relationship chart (without a birth time) apart from an overly confident tr Pluto opposition Jupiter in 2017/18 which may generate too much confidence between them, leading to brash decisions.
He’s an easier fit for Trump than Gary Cohn, President of Goldman Sachs, who’s been handed the job of director of the National Economic Council, which has a key role in policymaking, and does not require Senate confirmation.
Cohn, 27 Aug 1960 New York, is an intense Sun Mercury Pluto in Virgo in a tough trine to Saturn in Capricorn, sextile Neptune (Moon) in Scorpio. [Born four days before Hassan Nasrullah, head of Hezbollah.]
Cohn also has a gung-ho Jupiter in Sagittarius opposition Mars in Gemini square Venus in Virgo.
Cohn’s Jupiter is conjunct Trump’s Moon which will help; but his Mars is conjunct Trump’s 10th house Uranus and his Uranus is conjunct Trump’s Mars – so a definite clash of agendas and egos.
Their relationship chart has an explosively volatile composite Sun Mars Uranus square Neptune Saturn, trine Jupiter; with Jupiter square Pluto Venus. So huge amount of game-playing and competitiveness in there. It’ll probably start nice with Venus Jupiter Pluto and deteriorate. Mind you almost from square one since tr Uranus will square the composite Mars in February with a discouraging tr Pluto square the composite Saturn at the same time, running on and off for two years. I suspect that one won’t last the full term.
Thanks Larryc. Rex and Putin have a lucrative history together, stymied by President Obama. “The 64-year-old Texas oilman spent much of his career working on Russian deals, including a 2011 agreement giving Exxon Mobil access to the huge resources under the Russian Arctic in return for giving the giant state-owned Russian oil company, OAO Rosneft, the opportunity to invest in Exxon Mobil’s operations overseas.
The 2011 Exxon-Rosneft agreement was frozen when sanctions were imposed on Russia in 2014, following the annexation of Crimea and covert military intervention in eastern Ukraine. Exxon Mobil estimated the sanctions cost it $1bn and Tillerson has argued strenuously for the measures to be lifted.” –from the Guardian.
From CNN today,
“Fans of ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson say running a global energy company equips the 64-year-old with the management tools needed to represent the US abroad. Skeptics say a closer look at that experience raises questions about conflicts of interest and whether the nominee would put US or corporate interests first. The criticism is bipartisan, with both Republicans and Democrats voicing reservations about the Texan. Scientists, human rights activists and environmental groups also raised concerns Tuesday at the news of Tillerson’s nomination.”
“Tillerson, while a Washington outsider, would also be the latest millionaire to join Trump’s Cabinet, which already has at least seven millionaires and two billionaires. Tillerson has spearheaded ExxonMobil partnerships with a Russian energy company with ties to President Vladimir Putin, who has given him Russia’s highest honor for a non-citizen.”
“Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat, said it was a question of priorities. “There is no doubt Rex Tillerson is a successful businessman and a very smart person,” Murphy said, “but he has proven, many times, his willingness to put oil profits before national interests and handing him the keys of US foreign policy is a recipe for disaster.”
“Trump campaigned hard on the promise that he would “drain the swamp” and target “global special interests” that partner with “corrupt” Washington politicians to rob “our working class.”
Ah, yes, bringing jobs back to America. Oil barons, working for the working man. Where’s my passport?
Dorte, Thanks for the date update.