Actor Bradley Whitford visited Madison Sunday morning for more than a stop in his hometown. “The West Wing” star canvassed on behalf of the Harris-Walz campaign with co-stars, gathering at the Barrymore Theatre for a rally.
Whitford spoke with The Daily Cardinal about the stakes of this election for college students, the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of Israel’s war in Gaza and changes in the political landscape since “The West Wing” first aired in 1999.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
What would you say to students at UW-Madison who are either undecided about voting or are voting for the first time in this election?
Donald Trump wants to get rid of the [Affordable Care Act], which means people under 26 would lose access to their parents' health care. The Democrats want to make it easier for you to afford your education, to make a living wage when you get out of college, to buy a house and for women to have freedom, health care and access to contraception. The spectacular, unfulfilled promise of this country is that you have a voice in building the future that you want, and you do that when you vote. It’s very easy to be cynical about politics, but cynicism is a luxury that your future cannot afford.
Many youth voters in Madison’s April Democratic primaries voted uninstructed due to the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of Gaza. What would you say to youth voters here who are hesitant about the foreign policy aspect of Kamala Harris’ campaign?
[Israeli Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu wants Trump in power because Trump wants to finish off Gaza. Kamala was relatively early in calling for a ceasefire, but in my view, it's not enough. I'm active in the French National Committee on legislation and funding the [United Nations Relief and Works Agency], which is very important to Palestinians. We want a ceasefire and we need to fight for a two-state solution. But if you think that a Trump administration or sitting [this election] out is going to help the people in Gaza, I think you're out of your mind.
[Youth voters] should be outraged! It is obscene to me that we cannot all agree on the fact that we should be on the side of civilians and children. [But] it would be a disaster for the people of Gaza if we allow Trump to get back into the White House. Argue with administrations all the time, but you have to choose the arena where you're going to be able to make your case. Our ability to advocate on behalf of the people in Gaza depends on this election.
Up on stage, you spoke about “The West Wing” being from an era where Republicans were “normal.” Why has your perception of the Republican Party shifted so drastically since then?
I think the party has been taken over by white Christian nationalists, and that Republicans are so afraid of losing power they have sold their souls to a strange, morally bankrupt candidate who has given them some electoral success but abandoned everything they pretended to believe in. Trump desecrates the values of Jesus. As somebody who was raised a Quaker, Jesus didn’t walk through Bethlehem and say “don’t help these lepers, you’re going to make them lazy.”
When “The West Wing” first came out, the general consensus was that it was an idealization of politics, but this view has shifted over time. How have you noticed the political landscape shift since the show first aired?
It was seen as an idealization of public service, but I don't think that's true. As much as I disagreed with Ronald Reagan or George Bush, I think they were genuinely heartbroken that they couldn't unite the country. What is unprecedented is a major political force in our country being led by someone who is not well, who does not want to unite us, who is energized by hatred and separation and racism and homophobia. I have transgender people in my family, I know a lot of people in the transgender community. It’s the oldest trick in the fascist book, that sexuality and gender freaks people out.
When you see the documentaries of Nazis burning books, they’re at Magnus Hirschfield’s sexuality clinic in Berlin. Homophobia used to be the thing that Republicans would use to stir up outrage in the early 2000s, and now cowards like Eric Hovde are using a new vulnerable community to score political points. I grew up in the theater, okay? I am a cis, straight guy who has spent his entire life taking showers with gay men. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. What do Republicans not understand about this? They're pursuing our most fundamental values, and that pisses me off. As Tim Walz says, “mind your own business.”
How does it feel to be canvassing and speaking on stage with former cast members you have known for decades?
We really are a very close group. It was a very intense situation that no longer happens in showbusiness, doing 22 episodes a year — which is insane — together for seven years. It is mind boggling the level of intimacy we have. We’re always in touch and we have hilarious text exchanges except Martin [Sheen], who only communicates by pigeon.
We all realize we get way too much attention because we’re living in, unfortunately, the age of entertainment. And if you’re not a moron, you use that attention you get on issues you care about. I was so thrilled to be able to bring these people who I love to my hometown.
Bryna Goeking is an arts editor for The Daily Cardinal. She also reports on campus news. Follow her on Twitter @BrynaGoeking.
Sreejita Patra is a senior staff writer and the former summer ad sales manager for The Daily Cardinal. She has written for breaking news, campus news and arts and has done extensive reporting on the 2024 presidential race. She also covered the Oregon Village Board for the Oregon Observer.
