Blondie star Debbie Harry: Donald Trump was not interested in me at all
The new wave band have announced their first UK tour in four years.
Blondie singer Debbie Harry has said Donald Trump was “not interested” in her at all when they met, and joked that the US president prefers “big women”.
The 75-year-old musician, model and actress said they had briefly spoken during a promotional event linked to the US version of The Celebrity Apprentice, which was hosted by Mr Trump.
She was asked to help promote a new flavour of ice cream created by her friend Penn Jillette, one half of acclaimed magic duo Penn and Teller, who was competing on the show in 2012 and 2013.
Harry – who is due to embark on a UK tour with Blondie in November 2021 – said she was introduced to Mr Trump but quipped that he had been unimpressed by her.
She told the PA news agency: “I actually met him extremely briefly. He was kind of not interested in me at all. I met him when he was doing the Apprentice TV show.
“A couple of friends of mine actually did the show – Cyndi Lauper and Penn Jillette from Penn and Teller.
“Penn’s assignments for that show was to create a flavour of ice cream and then to prepare a marketing strategy.
“He asked me to do an endorsement for his product, which I was very happy to do – I love Penn and Teller and I love Penn, so I did do that.
“Then there was a big event, I don’t remember exactly where and, as I say, I met him very briefly.
“Penn introduced me to him. I’m not tall enough. He likes tall women. He likes big women.”
The new wave star, who has been a vocal critic of Mr Trump during his presidency, also criticised the former businessman as “racist”.
Speaking about the political situation in the US in the lead up to the 2020 election, she told PA: “It seems to be very two-sided. There seems to be the pro-Trumps and the anti-Trumps.
“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 the desperation of the people.
“And the fact that he is a racist is unacceptable.”
Blondie, co-founded by Harry and guitarist Chris Stein in 1974, have announced their first UK tour in four years and will play 10 dates in November 2021, supported by Garbage.
Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson was on hand to induct Blondie into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.
Speaking about the news coming amid the coronavirus pandemic, Harry said: “I guess it’s a sign of positive thinking and desire. I miss terribly being in the UK and would really like to tour again and play music. It’s going to be quite a long time before I get to do anything.
“It was a very abrupt transition – there really was no transition. All of sudden it was cut off. I was supposed to get back to work on March 4 and boom, it was gone.”
She also revealed that Blondie have new music in the works, although it is unlikely to see release while the pandemic continues.
The group’s last album was 2017’s Pollinator, which featured the single Fun.
She said: “We have started working on new material but because of the prohibition we haven’t tried to get into the studio as a group.
“I think it is all theoretical actually. Chris has been putting some tracks together and we have a track from (producer) John Congleton and I think I have a couple of songs from that going.
“But we are going to do this collection, as they say, in house. We are going to keep it within people in our band. Even though John is not in the band, he is our producer.
“I think we are going to do that this time.
“I have been writing. I am always writing. I am always struggling and collecting little tit bits and ideas, hoping that it will all fall into place.”
The Blondie 2021 UK tour dates include London’s O2 Arena, Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester, Hull, Nottingham, Brighton, Cardiff, Glasgow and Leeds.
General sale tickets are available on Friday October 23 at 10am, with venues and ticket agent pre-sales on Thursday at 10am.
More information at blondie.net
