Elections 2024 live: ‘White Dudes for Harris’ raises $4m as Harris and Trump release new ads that put her center stage

A group of famous, self-described “white dudes” raked in more than $3.5m in donations for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign during a Zoom rally on Monday.

The “White Dudes for Harris” online rally included Hollywood stars such as Jeff Bridges, Mark Ruffalo and Josh Groban as well as Democratic officials such as North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and potential VP candidate Pete Buttigieg.

Over 150,000 joined the virtual event where Bridges channeled his “The Dude” moniker from The Big Lebowski: “I’m excited, man!”

As the event drew in numbers, organizer Ross Morales Rocketto claimed that X – owned by self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist” Elon Musk – suspended its account on the platform.

The same day, Harris’ field of potential vice presidential running mates narrowed with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and then Cooper ruling themselves out, leaving Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as favorites.

Trump meanwhile put in an appearance on Fox News where he defended JD Vance’s sexist comments and again refused to commit to debating Harris.

“The answer is yes, I’ll probably end up debating,” he said, then adding: “I can also make a case for not doing it.”

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has taken himself out of contention as Kamala Harris’ running mate.

Cooper had been considered a potential running mate given his long friendship with Harris going back to their days as attorneys general of North Carolina and California, respectively.

“I strongly support Vice President Harris’s campaign for president,” he said in a statement on X. “I know she is going to win and it was an honor to be considered for this role. This just wasn’t the right time for North