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Donald Trump and the Year of the Fire Rooster: What's in Store?

For the superstitious in China, astrologers’ services are in high demand to help guide important decisions regarding family, finance and health.
Image: A giant red fire rooster
A giant red rooster from France named "Mr. Universe" crows as it is shown to the media by Malabon Zoo owner Manny Tangco as part of the "Roosters of the World" exhibition celebrating the "Red Fire Rooster" in the Chinese lunar calendar in Manila, Philippines, on Jan. 27, 2017.Bullit Marquez / AP

BEIJING — The next 12 months, the Year of the Fire Rooster, will not be an easy one for President Donald Trump, at least according to a noted Chinese astrologer.

"Trump was born in year of the dog," said Chen Shuaifu, a feng shui master and chairman of the Chinese Feng Shui Association, which has 50,000 members. "The Year of the Rooster will be difficult for him. He might be forced to resign if the worst-case scenarios happen.”

"The easiest way for Western people to be lucky or make a lot of money would be to follow Trump's clothing style and the layout and decoration of his office."

Chen also said that, as a politician with no experience in public office, Trump should listen to his team and pay attention to "other professional opinions" on policy-making.

NBC News has consulted Chen in the past to learn his predictions for the new lunar year, which is being celebrated around the world. It will be, he said, a time of fresh starts and new beginnings.

For the superstitious in China, this is the season when astrologers’ services are in high demand to help guide important decisions regarding family, finance and health.

Given the growing anxiety in China about the new presidency — Trump has said he would challenge Beijing's territorial claims in the South China Sea and accused it of predatory trade practices — Chen forecasts an unstable period for international relations that will strain bilateral ties.

“China and the U.S. may have conflicts on trade, the South China Sea, and North Korea,” he said. He added, perhaps predictably, that he believes China has the ability to weather the storm.

Astrologically speaking, China’s President Xi Jinping seems to have an edge over his U.S. counterpart, with a double dose of luck in his stars. His birthday falls under the fire sign, which, in the incoming year of the fire rooster, supposedly means great things.

For example, people who, like Xi, were born in year of the snake are poised to “do well in finance,” Chen said.

It will also be a prosperous time for those born in years of the ox, like former President Barack Obama, and the dragon, like Russian Vladimir Putin.

Unfortunately, the financial good times do not extend to the rest of the astrological signs, especially rabbits and tigers. Chen advised people of those signs against sinking too much money into real estate or stocks, urging that they invest instead in their own health to avoid illness.

The Year of the Fire Rooster is the tenth year of the 12-year zodiac cycle, and the characteristics associated with it are ambition, pride and the desire to be admired.

“Trump has his own fortune-teller team,” said Chen. “The easiest way for Western people to be lucky or make a lot of money would be to follow Trump’s clothing style and the layout and decoration of his office.”

Chen did not say whether good feng shui decor might include gold curtains. However, the plants recommended during a rooster year include narcissus, the gold-colored flower that represents fortune.