Current:Home > NewsJeff Bridges, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, more stars join 'White Dudes for Harris' Zoom -Aspire Money Growth
Jeff Bridges, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, more stars join 'White Dudes for Harris' Zoom
View
Date:2025-04-17 21:25:22
Hollywood's "white dudes" are rallying around Kamala Harris.
Jeff Bridges, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Mark Hamill were among the stars who participated in a Zoom call Monday to raise money for Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign, which was dubbed "White Dudes for Harris" and streamed on YouTube. Numerous politicians, including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, also took part.
Early in the call, Bridges said he's "excited" about Harris' campaign and that President Joe Biden had "beautifully" passed the baton to her by dropping out of the race.
"I can see her being president," Bridges said. "I'm so excited. A woman president, man. How exciting! And her championing of women's rights, I'm for that."
White Dudes for Harrisraises $4 million: 'The vibes right now are incredible'
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
The actor, who famously played The Dude in "The Big Lebowski," also joked he was brought to the "White Dudes for Harris" call "not so much (for) being white, and I certainly am, but because I'm a dude," adding, "I'm white, I'm a dude, and I'm for Harris."
Josh Groban spoke after Buttigieg, with the Grammy-nominated singer saying that "as a white guy," when "the world has been built for you," it can be "so much easier" not to be politically outspoken.
"It's easy to assume somebody else will step up," but "I am proud to raise my hand and to say that this is something that I believe so fully in," Groban said. "I'm so excited by the galvanizing of the Harris campaign."
Later, Joseph Gordon-Levitt slammed former President Donald Trump on the call as a "con man" who will not "look out for middle class, working class, ordinary American people," which is why "we need a president who can prosecute con men like this."
"The Lord of the Rings" star Sean Astin said he is excited to elect a "qualified, tested, proven woman into the presidency, so that all girls for all time can know that that's possible."
Hamill, meanwhile, praised the Biden administration as "the most legislatively successful administration since Franklin Delano Roosevelt" and urged voters to "stand up to (Trump's) mental illness."
Celebritiesback Kamala Harris for president after Joe Biden drops reelection bid
"The West Wing" star Bradley Whitford told participants that he has been active in campaigns in Wisconsin his entire life and has "never felt this kind of enthusiasm ever," but he also urged Harris supporters not to be complacent. "This is so far from a sure thing," he said. "We have to seize this moment."
"Frozen" star Josh Gad recalled that he "stood over my kids' bed and I wept" on the night of the 2016 election because he "felt like I let them down" after America did not elect its first female president. "That feeling of dread, and that feeling of fear, and that feeling of shame is not something I'm ever willing or able to allow myself to feel again," he said.
Comedian Paul Scheer also said that Harris is "the type of president America needs," while "House of Cards" star Michael Kelly said it's "so easy to get behind" Harris, and singer Lance Bass said he is feeling "so hopeful" about the vice president's campaign. "As a white guy, it's easy to think these issues don't affect us directly, but that's exactly why we need to pay attention," Bass said.
Supporters were urged to donate throughout the over three-hour call, and by the time it ended, organizers said more than $4 million had been raised.
As the call began, organizer Ross Morales Rocketto acknowledged that many were "uncomfortable" with the "White Dudes for Harris" idea because "throughout American history, when white men have organized, it was often with pointy hats on." But he said that "the reason that we are doing this is because the left has been ceding white men to the MAGA right for way, way too long."
The fundraising call came after many Hollywood stars expressed support for Harris following Biden's exit from the race. George Clooney, who had urged Biden to drop out, said in a statement to CNN, "President Biden has shown what true leadership is. He's saving democracy once again. We're all so excited to do whatever we can to support Harris in her historic quest."
veryGood! (33629)
Related
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- A second Alabama IVF provider pauses parts of its program after court ruling on frozen embryos
- Wendy Williams Diagnosed With Primary Progressive Aphasia and Dementia
- A Missouri woman was killed in 1989. Three men are now charged in the crime
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- Federal judge says MyPillow's Mike Lindell must pay $5M in election data dispute
- Lawyers for Malcolm X family say new statements implicate NYPD, feds in assassination
- Toronto Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews becomes fastest US-born player to 50 goals
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- Wisconsin Potawatomi leader calls for bipartisanship in State of Tribes speech
Ranking
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Education Department says FAFSA fix is coming for Social Security issue
- Curb your Messi Mania expectations in 2024. He wants to play every match, but will he?
- Youngkin, Earle-Sears join annual anti-abortion demonstration in Richmond
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- How to Watch the 2024 SAG Awards and E!'s Live From E! Red Carpet
- The Excerpt: Crime stats show improvement. Why do so many believe it's never been worse?
- Sean 'Diddy' Combs denies claims he gang raped 17-year-old girl
Recommendation
Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
What is chlormequat, and can the chemical found in foods like Quaker Oats and Cheerios impact fertility?
Feds accuse alleged Japanese crime boss with conspiring to traffic nuclear material
Wyze camera breach allowed customers to look at other people's camera feeds: What to know
Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
Neuralink transplant patient can control computer mouse 'by just thinking,' Elon Musk says
Extreme fog fueled 20-vehicle crash with 21 hurt on US 84 in southeastern Mississippi
Michael Jackson's Youngest Son Bigi Blanket Jackson Looks So Grown Up on 22nd Birthday