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Jeff Bridges, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, more stars join 'White Dudes for Harris' Zoom
View Date:2024-12-23 21:14:20
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'
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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."
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