She was one of the few voices to have correctly divined Trump’s election victory. Now feted Hong Kong fortune teller Priscilla Lam is predicting that Trump will have a smooth start, but rocky end, to 2017.
Lam, who’s based at the city’s Wong Tai Sin temple, has been reading faces, palms and the Chinese Zodiac for more than 20 years. We asked her to divine the fates of six world leaders: President Trump and his counterparts in Russia, China, Germany, Turkey and the Philippines.
Last year, when CNN asked Lam to give her take on the candidates battling it out for the US presidency, she correctly told us that Trump would win the election.
Here’s what she says is in store for the world’s movers and shakers in the upcoming Year of the Fire Rooster, which starts Saturday, based on their year and date of birth in accordance with the Chinese almanac.
Donald Trump
Lam’s prediction: The characteristic of a fire dog is over confidence and a tendency to act quickly without thinking things through. The astrological sign on the day of President Trump’s birth is earth. The element of metal in the latter half of the year will destabilize the earth.
Since he was born in the year of fire, the spring and summer — when the weather is hot — will be good for Trump. It’s also his honeymoon period as US President. But the cooler months of autumn and winter will see him run into difficulties. There will be protests.
Vladimir Putin
Lam’s prediction: A dragon is strong and can go anywhere — it can swim in the water or fly in the air. It’s filled with enthusiasm. That combined with the astrological sun sign on the day of President Putin’s birth makes him a strong leader, who is a clear thinker.
Putin’s going to have good year. The element of metal in the latter part of 2017 means money for Putin — and for Russia. The Russian economy will prosper.
Xi Jinping
Lam’s prediction: The astrological sign on the day of President Xi’s birth is fire — and the incoming year of the fire rooster means it’s going to be a great year for him.
It’s double luck for the Chinese president, because the Year of the Fire Rooster is also expected to be good for people born in the year of the snake.
The characteristics of a water snake are similar to that of the dragon. A snake can go into the sea and also travel on land. China, under Xi’s leadership, is going to make a lot of money thanks to the good fortune forecast for its leader.
Angela Merkel
Lam’s prediction: A horse is sturdy and wood, which is also the astrological element on the day of Chancellor Merkel’s birth, is like a big tree with its roots firmly planted in the ground. The wood element in Merkel makes her very kind hearted — which explains her generous refugee policy.
But being so kind will bring her challenges come the summer, because the heat of the fire rooster could burn up her wood. Thankfully, she’s situated in the Berlin — in northern Germany, where it shouldn’t get too hot. She’ll be able to overcome the challenges and be successful in her bid for re-election.
Rodrigo Duterte
Lam’s prediction: A person born in the Year of the Rooster will face competition from the incoming Year of the Rooster — essentially it’s a cockfight.
President Duterte’s war on drugs may not be popular among all, but it’ll make his country richer and healthier. Duterte needs to turn down his fire and take a step by step approach to dealing with the drugs problem, so he can win everyone’s support.
That means the Philippines President is going to face a lot of opposition to his policies. The fire of this year could burn up the wood from Duterte’s year of birth.
Luckily the astrological sign from Duterte’s birthday is also fire — so it can also be interpreted that the wood from his birth year will support the fire from his birthday.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Lam’s prediction: The astrological element on Erdogan’s birthday is water, and spring isn’t good for that, because the flowers are blooming and will take up all of his water.
That means Erdogan is going to lose the referendum to increase his presidential powers that is scheduled for April.
Furthermore, by reading his face — his eyes show that he’s not enjoying a lot of support from the people, and his big nostrils symbolize he’s not good at holding onto money.
The lines around his mouth indicate that his subordinates in government are unreliable. It’s not going to be a good year for Erdogan.
Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this piece are solely those of fortune teller Priscilla Lam.