A group of men calling themselves “White Dudes for Harris” held a Zoom marathon on Monday night to rally support and raise money for Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
According to organizers, more than 190,000 people attended the three-and-a-half-hour virtual rally, raising more than $4.2 million for Harris’ campaign.
The event was inspired by a Zoom call organized by the group “Win With Black Women,” which drew more than 40,000 people and raised more than $1 million for Harris hours after President Biden dropped his re-election bid and supported. Numerous identity-focused Zoom calls to Harris have since emerged.
What Happened on the ‘White Dudes’ Hookup
One by one, speakers at the “White Dudes for Harris” Zoom rally shared personal stories about why they are supporting Harris who, if she were to win in November, would be the first non-“guy” in the Oval Office.
Among them: potential vice presidential candidates (Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker), Hollywood actors (Sean Astin, Joseph Gordon-LevittMark Hamill), singers (Bid low It is Josh Groban) and even the Dude himself, Jeff Bridges, who starred as Jeffrey “the Dude” Lebowski in the Coen Brothers’ cult classic 1998 film The Big Lebowski.
“I qualify, man: I’m white, I’m a dude, and I’m for Harris,” Bridges said, speaking from what appeared to be his garage. “I think Joe passed the baton so beautifully and Kamala is certainly our girl. I can see her being president; I’m so excited. A female president – man, how exciting!”
Buttigieg followed Bridges
“Speaking about this call for guys after ‘the Dude’ is definitely one of the honors of my life”, joked the transport secretary before addressing the topic at hand.
“donald trumpKamala’s unfitness for office is clear and no one is better positioned to prosecute this case than Kamala Harris,” said Buttigieg, who is on the list of his potential running mates. “And you can see his campaign is failing, he’s reverting to his worst instincts – his choice of running mate in J.D. Vance – you can see he’s focusing on the worst of everything, from his anti-women rhetoric to this deep involvement with Project 2025.”
Buttigieg said Harris’ entry into the race has generated excitement among Democrats, and while he is reluctant to acknowledge “vibes” in a campaign, even he can admit that “the vibes right now are incredible.”
Other ‘white guys’ on the call castigated Trump and Vance
“I hear JD Vance trying to talk about what a small town is,” Walz said. “There’s a golden rule for those of you like me from a small town: mind your own business.”
Walz then turned his attention to Trump and encouraged those at the rally to rhetorically “shrink” the former president while campaigning for Harris.
“Is he a danger to society? Yes. Is it a danger to women’s health? Yes. Is he a danger to world peace? Yes,” Walz said. “But don’t give him more credit than he needs. He’s just a weird, weird guy.”
Organizers responded to criticism
At the beginning of the conference call, “White Dudes for Harris” organizer Ross Morales Rocketto said he wanted to address what he called the “elephant in the room”: criticism surrounding an event organized for white men, given the country’s history of racism. country.
“A lot of people felt uncomfortable with the call,” he said. “Throughout American history, when white men organized, they often wore pointy hats. And so I think the discomfort, the skepticism is understandable.”
But Rocketto said he felt the need to rally white men — a demographic from which Trump garnered more than 60% support in the last two presidential elections — and turn them around for Harris.
“The left has ceded men to the MAGA right for too long,” he said. “And that will stop tonight.”
