Current:Home > NewsJeff Bridges, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, more stars join 'White Dudes for Harris' Zoom -Streamline Finance
Jeff Bridges, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, more stars join 'White Dudes for Harris' Zoom
View
Date:2025-04-25 10:38:15
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! (774)
Related
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- FBI received tips about online threats involving suspected Georgia school shooter
- Broadway 2024: See which Hollywood stars and new productions will hit New York
- Queen guitarist Brian May suffered minor stroke, lost 'control' in his arm
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- College football's cash grab: Coaches, players, schools, conference all are getting paid.
- Republican Liz Cheney endorses Kamala Harris
- Blue Jackets players, GM try to make sense of tragedy after deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Bethenny Frankel's Update on Daughter Bryn's Milestone Will Make You Feel Old
Ranking
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- California companies wrote their own gig worker law. Now no one is enforcing it
- Teen suspect in shooting of 49ers' Ricky Pearsall charged with three felonies
- Bigger and Less Expensive: A Snapshot of U.S. Rooftop Solar Power and How It’s Changed
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
- No leggings, no crop tops: North Carolina restaurant's dress code has the internet talking
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Open Wide
- College football's cash grab: Coaches, players, schools, conference all are getting paid.
Recommendation
Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
4 confirmed dead, suspect in custody after school shooting in Georgia
A Minnesota man whose juvenile murder sentence was commuted is found guilty on gun and drug charges
Advocates seek rewrite of Missouri abortion-rights ballot measure language
Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
Election 2024 Latest: Trump and Harris focus on tax policy ahead of next week’s debate
When do new episodes of 'Power Book II: Ghost' Season 4 come out? Release date, time, cast, where to watch
Michael Keaton explains how Jenna Ortega made new 'Beetlejuice' movie happen