When you’re born between May 20 and June 20, the sun tells you that your star sign is gemini. From then on, your life is an endless cycle of turbulence. The twin sign gives you dual personalities to a degree, making you hot one day and cold the next. You can say something with 100 percent confidence even though you know it’s absolutely not true. You can laugh with your friends, then suddenly get annoyed with the way they organize their dishes or drive their car. But you’re also extremely determined, and you set high goals for yourself, doing everything you can to achieve them. You’re a leader, a dreamer and, oftentimes, a problem.
I know this because I’m a gemini. And so is Donald Trump.
Throughout the past year, Trump has exhibited some pretty classic erratic gemini behavior. (For further reference on geminis behaving bizarrely, look no further than Kanye West!) His star sign became even more apparent after his recent Tweet announcing that he’ll be skipping the White House Correspondents’ Dinner this April. The last president to do this was Richard Nixon (a capricorn) after recovering from an assassination attempt. Don’t worry… the irony isn’t lost on me.
The reputation of the Correspondents’ Dinner is now one of flash, of celebrity and of humor. “Self-deprecation” is the term I’ve seen thrown out often in pieces regarding the annual event where media and politics set aside their animosity for one night of Hollywood smizing.
Self-deprecation. Probably not a word in Trump’s dictionary.
See, the problem is that most geminis get extremely defensive when it comes to people teasing or critiquing them, and they would never admit their own flaws. From my experience, my flaws are constantly circling in my head: why should I point them out to others, or have others point them out to me? Like, trust me, I know I’m high-maintenance. And I’m sure Trump knows he is too.
Everyone revelled in Obama’s sense of humor during his eight years in office. I mean, like him or not, the man was funny. The thing is, Obama was a Leo. Totally different situation. Leos not only are hilarious, but they love attention — whether it’s good or bad. So Obama could handle some light mocking one night a year, as long as the headlines were raving about his delivery the next morning.
It’s called Zodiac privilege; some people were just born under luckier stars than others.
Trump’s absence, then, is not some mighty message against contemporary media (come on, media and celebrity status made him president in the first place). It’s not an appeal to change the rising glamorous reputation of the dinner. It’s not because he doesn’t want to sit next to a Jenner or Kardashian.
It’s because he’s a gemini. And, whether he shows it or not, he’s very sensitive.
Savannah Peykani is a fourth-year literary journalism and film and media studies major. She can be reached at speykani@uci.edu.