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Billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates recently reflected on a dinner meeting with President-elect Donald Trump, describing it as "intriguing" and "impressive." The meeting, held two weeks ago at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, focused on global health innovation and efforts to combat diseases like HIV and polio.
“I had a long and actually quite intriguing dinner with him,” Gates told The Wall Street Journal in an interview.
Susie Wiles, Trump’s incoming White House chief of staff, also attended the discussion. Gates noted Trump’s enthusiasm during conversations about the potential for eradicating polio and accelerating the development of an HIV cure.
“He, in the COVID days, accelerated vaccine innovation,” Gates said, referencing Trump’s role in fast-tracking COVID-19 vaccine production. “I asked him if the same kind of thing could be done here, and we both got pretty excited about that.”
Gates’s foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has longstanding initiatives targeting these global health challenges.
Gates praised Trump’s interest in exploring ways to maximize the chances of achieving significant milestones, such as eradicating polio, during his upcoming term.
“I felt like he was energized and looking forward to helping drive innovation,” Gates said, adding that the nearly three-hour dinner showcased Trump’s keen interest in the issues raised. “I was frankly impressed with how well he engaged.”
The dinner came shortly after Trump posted on X, formerly Twitter, that Gates had requested the meeting. Despite Gates’s past criticisms of Trump, the two have met several times before.
Gates’s outreach reflects a broader trend of prominent billionaires engaging with Trump following his election victory.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos also met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago last month, joining a growing list of business leaders seeking to align with the incoming administration.
Companies including Amazon, Ford, Google, Meta, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman contributed to Trump’s inaugural fund, signaling corporate interest in fostering dialogue with the president-elect.
Gates’s comments underscore a willingness to collaborate on shared goals, particularly in health innovation, setting the stage for potential partnerships during Trump’s presidency.
