The Daily Beast Podcast What I Learned After RFK Jr. Sold Me Drugs: Author
Oct 14, 2025
Kurt Andersen, a writer and cultural critic known for founding Spy magazine, dives into the bizarre dynamics of Donald Trump with host Joanna Coles. He reflects on his youthful encounter with RFK Jr. involving a wild drug purchase while at Harvard. The conversation covers Trump's celebrity-driven rise, the creation of the term 'Short-Fingered Vulgarian,' and his insatiable quest for attention. Andersen also discusses the media's struggles to comprehend Trump's performative politics, revealing the contradictions between Trump’s public persona and private behavior.
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Harvard Drug Purchase With RFK Jr.
- Kurt Andersen recounts buying cocaine from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. while at Harvard and pocketing Kennedy's
Dorm Room Scene And The Stolen Straw
- Kurt describes entering RFK Jr.'s dorm, finding a backgammon case full of marijuana, and scribbling down celebrity phone numbers.
- He recounts RFK Jr. returning with a line of coke, selling them a packet, then accusing Kurt of stealing a cherished straw and ending the transaction.
How A Nickname Became A Cultural Cartoon
- Spy Magazine coined the phrase "short-fingered vulgarian" for Donald Trump and watched that label stick in public discourse.
- The gag evolved into a durable cultural cartoon that Trump both embraced and battled publicly.
