White men came together on Monday to voice their support for Vice President Kamala Harris at a virtual conference that also included some of Hollywood’s top stars, and were urged to stand up in opposition to the “Make America Great Again” movement that organizers say is hijacking their masculinity.
The “White Men for Harris” rally raised millions of dollars during a remote call, organizer Ross Morales Lockett said. Organizers said the goal of the fundraiser was to “stop MAGA packs from intimidating other white men into voting for their hateful and divisive ideology.”
“Throughout American history, when white men formed organizations, they usually wore pointy hats,” Lockett said, referring to the Ku Klux Klan. “Years of economic boom left hard-working people who were trying to do the right thing for their families behind.”
“This is happening at the same time that the American mythology we grew up with, that men should be protectors and nurturers, is moving towards an economy that actually allows that to happen,” he added.
“White Men for Harris” to hold conference call after 160,000 white women join Zoom “Karens for Kamala”
Award-winning actor Jeff Bridges voiced his support for Kamala Harris during a White Dudes for Harris remote call. (White man supporting Harris)
Among the supporters were several high-profile figures who identified as white but supported Harris, including Oscar-winning actor Jeff Bridges.
“I’m white. I’m a man. And I support Harris,” he said. “This is not a fight. This is a submission to our higher ideas, what we want this future to be. So I am submitting to that… but that’s just my approach.”
“He might say, ‘That’s just my opinion,'” Bridges added, referring to his role as slacker Jeff Lebowski, the protagonist in “The Big Lebowski.”
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who withdrew from consideration to be Harris’ running mate, agreed.
“A real man respects women and their decisions. [and] It’s impacting their careers,” he said.
Other guests included actor Bradley Whitford (who said he was glad to see a “rainbow of beige” and “diverse array of whiteness”), Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mark Hamill, labor leaders, and elected officials such as Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
“White Men for Harris” to hold conference call after 160,000 white women join Zoom “Karens for Kamala”
Vice President Kamala Harris addresses supporters during a campaign event at Resorts World Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Tuesday, July 9, 2024. On Monday, a “White Men for Harris” rally called for donations and support for the vice president. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker joked that he would join another call called “The Anti-Trump Couch, or CATS,” a reference to Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance’s criticism of prominent Democrats as “childless cat women.”
In the days leading up to the rally, social media users had mocked “white men supporting Harris”, with many suggesting that those attending were soft and weak men.
“This will be the most beta gathering in history,” responded one critic.
Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu urged white men to look at the bigger picture and stop thinking of themselves as victims.
“I say to white men in America, this idea that when others gain, we lose, when others gain, we get left behind,” he said. “That’s just not true.”
Actor Josh Gad spoke during the “White Dudes for Harris” remote call on Monday. (White man supporting Harris)
Actor Josh Gad, who said he stood at his child’s bedside and cried when former President Donald Trump was elected in 2016, criticized the Republican National Convention and the list of celebrities who attended.
“They have Kid Rock, Kevin Sorbo, a dolphin lover. And we have the Hulk, Luke Skywalker and Mayor Pete (Buttigieg), which is pretty amazing,” Gad said.
Meanwhile, women who spoke at Harris’ official events sometimes harshly criticized white women in general.
“The bad news is that the vast majority of white women are voting Republican because too many of them subconsciously believe that it’s in their interest to use their privilege and the white supremacy and patriarchal support systems to their advantage,” said Shannon Watts, founder of the gun control advocacy group Moms Demand Action, which organized Thursday’s rally of white women to support Harris.
The TikTok influencer called on white women to use their “privilege” during Kamala Harris’ call for white women on Thursday.
She struck the same tone on Monday, saying in a call for women to support Harris that “the vast majority of white women in this country have historically voted against the demands of the most marginalized, including in the last two presidential elections.”
But the video that was most widely criticized was one from TikTok influencer Arielle Fodor, who spoke on the women of color conference call on Thursday.
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“We’re here because BIPOC women have called on us, as white women, to stand up,” she said. “As white women, we need to use our privilege to create positive change. If you think you’d never want to interrupt BIPOC people, speak for them, or correct them, hold on a second. Let us listen instead.”
“As white people, we have a lot to learn and a lot to unlearn, so check your blind spots. You have a responsibility,” she said, adding that white women should focus on leveraging the privilege they have.
