Since 2024’s Year of the Dragon energy arrived on February 10, devotees of Chinese astrology had been watching with some confusion the seemingly business-as-usual march towards the US presidential election in November. After all, the Dragon is celebrated as the most dynamic, visually stunning, and trailblazing of all the Chinese signs—embodied by famous Dragon-born individuals like Rihanna (02/20/1988, Pisces Dragon), Andy Warhol (08/06/1928, Leo Dragon), Adele (05/05/1988, Taurus Dragon), or Bruce Lee (11/27/1940, Sagittarius Dragon). As the election cycle appeared to lurch tediously towards a rematch of 2020’s contest between septuagenarian Donald Trump (06/14/1946, Gemini Dog) and octogenarian Joe Biden (11/20/1942, Scorpio Horse), astrologers and astrology fans alike found themselves wondering, WTF?

What a difference a month can make. Joe Biden’s calamitous debate performance on June 27 was followed by the horrifying attempt on Donald Trump’s life on July 13, when the polarizing candidate came literally within a hair’s breadth of violent death. All of a sudden, the election metamorphosed from geriatric one-upmanship over golf handicaps to fittingly urgent, high-stakes drama—in other words, the apotheosis of Dragon energy. 

Two figures have emerged as especially significant in this newly transformed environment, and the energy of both is ideally suited to the febrile atmosphere. First, on July 16, Trump selected Senator J.D. Vance (08/02/1984, Leo Rat) as his running mate. Born in a year of the Rat, Vance’s energy forms a highly compatible Trine combination with this year’s Dragon influence, meaning his prospects for advancement are especially favored. 

Vance’s combined sign brings together the shrewd and social nature of the Rat with the lofty, brilliantly capable and ambitious sign of Leo. Other famous examples of Leos born around early August in a Rat year include the celebrated economist Milton Friedman (07/31/1912, Leo Rat), the writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin (08/02/1924, Leo Rat), fashion doyen Yves Saint Laurent (08/01/1936, Leo Rat), and award-winning actor Maya Rudolph (07/27/1972, Leo Rat). Not without irony, in 2019 Rudolph won an Emmy for her SNL impersonation of the current Vice President, Kamala Harris! 

On a more serious note, the Rat is known to be the wordsmith of the Chinese signs, and following the tradition of writers like Friedman and Baldwin, it is little surprise that Vance’s current political trajectory was spring-boarded by his best-selling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy (2016). One of the most significant people in Vance’s orbit appears to be his wife, Usha Vance (01/06/1986, Capricorn Ox). The Vances’ closely collaborative relationship appears to be strongly supported by their Quincunx combination of Leo and Capricorn, and especially the revered Rat and Ox Soulmate connection on the Chinese side.

But in the rapidly-changing current moment, the person of the hour is surely the freshly-minted Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris (10/20/1964, Libra Dragon). Born on the cusp of Libra and Scorpio, Harris’ energy could be expected to be rebellious and assertive, with a healthy dose of turbulence or instability thrown in. Little could be more on point, then, than the endorsement of pop-star Charli XCX on July 22, whose tweet, “kamala IS brat”, has been taken as a celebration of “messiness and vulnerability - being your own authentic self.” 

For Harris, her cusp energy brings together the carefully considerate, teeming-with-possibilities energy of Libra with the powerful, emotionally subterranean depths of Scorpio. Perhaps even more significantly this year, Harris herself personifies the striking dynamism of Dragon energy. Famous individuals born on the Libra/Scorpio cusp in a Dragon year include any number of show-stopping luminaries of the theatre, sports, and politics. One of the most famous actresses in history, Frenchwoman Sarah Bernhardt (10/22/1844, Libra Dragon), was famously described by Mark Twain with the following: “There are five kinds of actresses. Bad actresses, fair actresses, good actresses, great actresses, and then there is Sarah Bernhardt.” Others sharing Kamala Harris’ Western/Chinese astrological profile include Brazilian soccer great Pelé (10/23/1940, Scorpio Dragon), the longest-serving President of France ever, François Mitterrand (10/26/1916, Scorpio Dragon), the actors Ryan Reynolds (10/23/1976, Scorpio Dragon), Jeff Goldblum (10/22/1952, Libra Dragon), and Indian superstar actress/philanthropist/businesswoman Parineeti Chopra (10/22/1988, Libra Dragon). 

Harris’ husband, and possibly the US’ first “first gentleman”, is Doug Emhoff (10/13/1964, Libra Dragon), who shares Harris’ combined sign of Libra Dragon, though without the cusp influence of Scorpio. Their energy match bespeaks a strong and powerfully supportive connection, albeit with so much shared energy that there may be a lack of balance at times. 

For now, the message is clear. 2024’s Dragon energy may not be for the faint of heart, but in their contrasting, newly appointed roles, Vance and Harris could not wish for a more auspicious atmosphere in which to test their prodigious respective talents.