At the 2025 Planned Parenthood Gala in NYC, 79-year-old Debbie Harry called Trump’s election win a “terrible outcome” for women’s rights.
Debbie Harry’s return to the public eye at April’s Planned Parenthood Gala in New York wasn’t just a celebrity cameo—it was a clarion call.
The 79-year-old Blondie frontwoman emerged from mourning the loss of her longtime bandmate Clem Burke to deliver a scathing appraisal of President Trump’s second term—a “terrible outcome” for American women and democracy alike. From her punk-rock roots to her unabashed advocacy for reproductive rights, Harry wove music and protest into a single, electrifying moment.
On April 24, 2025, the Cipriani South Street ballroom in Manhattan pulsed with anticipation as Debbie Harry stepped onto the red carpet for the Planned Parenthood New York Gala—her first public appearance since the death of drummer Clem Burke earlier that month. Amid fundraising and flashbulbs, Harry paused to appraise the state of the union under President Donald Trump.
“If you ask me questions about Donald Trump,” she told The Mirror US, “I don’t really approve of much of what he does”.
Her assessment wasn’t hyperbole. Since Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025—an event moved indoors at the U.S. Capitol due to frigid winds and historic firsts, including marking him as the oldest president inaugurated and the first with a prior felony conviction—his administration, via the newly minted Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has rolled out sweeping cost-cutting measures across federal agencies. Those belt-tightening efforts have hit social services hardest: “The reduced funding has hit a vast number of areas hard, including Planned Parenthood, which is close to my heart,” Harry added.
Economic data confirms a contracting federal workforce amid these reforms—applications for unemployment benefits have inched up even as the private sector remains robust, signaling layoffs tied to DOGE’s restructuring push under Elon Musk’s supervision.
For Harry, punk rock was always more than three-minute singles: it was a platform. Blondie’s genre-bending anthems—mixing disco, new wave and hip-hop—challenged norms in the late ’70s and early ’80s. Decades later, that same irreverence undergirds her activism. “We have been kicked around for far too long, and this is a terrible outcome of his presidency,” she declared, channeling the urgency of tracks like “One Way or Another” into political protest.
Her presence at a Planned Parenthood gala underscores how pop stars can amplify civic movements: Harry has long championed reproductive rights and gender equality, seeing parallels between punk’s do-it-yourself ethos and grassroots advocacy.
This gala appearance carried extra weight: it was Harry’s first public outing since the passing of Clem Burke, Blondie’s drummer and self-described “heartbeat,” who died April 6 at age 70 after a private battle with cancer. In a joint statement, Harry and co-founder Chris Stein paid tribute, calling Burke’s talent and passion “unmatched, and his contributions to our sound and success are immeasurable”.
That loss cast a poignant shadow over Harry’s message—a reminder that rock history and present-day struggles often intersect. As she moved from mourning to mobilizing, the gala became both eulogy and rallying point.
Harry’s critique of Trump isn’t new. Ahead of the 2020 election, she condemned his racial rhetoric and dismissal of public suffering: “Of course, I don’t really agree with the things he believes in or refuses to acknowledge. I think we are suffering from his lack of acknowledgement of the seriousness and desperation of the people,” she told reporters.
Yet few celebrities have maintained such consistent outspokenness. At 79, Harry bridges eras—from CBGB’s basement stages to the mammoth debates roiling today. Her fusion of art and advocacy exemplifies a lineage of musicians who view the microphone as a megaphone for social change.
As the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency recalibrates federal spending—initially touting a $1 trillion savings goal now scaled to $150 billion for FY 2026—critics warn of eroded services and expertise lost to mass layoffs and deferred resignations. Yet Harry’s words suggest an antidote: music-fueled activism that refuses to accept “terrible outcomes” as inevitable.
Whether through benefit concerts, interviews, or Instagram posts, Debbie Harry reminds us that punk’s core message endures: dissent is essential, and voices—especially those seasoned by decades in the spotlight—matter. In the words of Blondie’s “Dreaming,” she insists we keep dreaming of a better America, even when the odds feel stacked.
source The Mirror US
