On page 45 of the April 1988 issue of Spy magazine, there’s a satirical advertisement for Donald Trump’s book The Art of the Deal. It picks the worst quotes from reviews of the book. “Exercise in self-congratulation.” “Repulsive book.” It jokes that Trump has been buying copies of it himself.
Right at the bottom of the ad is a throwaway line that has resonated throughout the years. In fake promo copy it boasts that the book is “by Short-Fingered Vulgarian Donald J. Trump.” It was authored by the magazine’s editor, AIR MAIL co-founder Graydon Carter, who had an instinct that the line would irk its subject. He was right. As recently as Trump’s first presidential run, Carter wrote:
