Bill Gates spills the beans on ‘intriguing’ 3-hour dinner chat with Trump: ‘I was impressed’

Bill Gates spills the beans on ‘intriguing’ 3-hour dinner chat with Trump: ‘I was impressed’

Bill Gates spills the beans on ‘intriguing’ 3-hour dinner chat with Trump: ‘I was impressed’ ByAditi Srivastava Jan 18, 2025 05:59 AM IST Share Via Copy Link Gates shared insights from his dinner with Trump, highlighting a productive dialogue on global health issues and Trump's interest in fostering innovation for…

Bill Gates and President-elect Donald Trump may seem like an unlikely duo, but their recent three-hour dinner proved to be an engaging and unexpected meeting of minds. Gates, who had previously backed Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, opened up about their private conversation, which covered everything from global health issues to driving innovation.

Bill Gates reportedly donated $50 million to Donald Trump’s rival, Kamala Harris, during the US election campaign. (AFP, Reuters) Bill Gates dishes on 3-hour dinner with Donald Trump

The billionaires reportedly met up after Trump’s presidential win. Now, speaking to The Wall Street Journal, the Microsoft founder shared insights into their much-discussed private dinner. The gathering included just four participants: Gates, Trump, incoming White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and one of Gates’ staff members.

"It was quite wide-ranging," Gates said of their conversation, adding that he was "impressed" by Trump's interests.

“I felt like he was energised and looking forward to helping to drive innovation,” the tech giant said of the incoming President. “I was frankly impressed with how well he showed a lot of interest in the issues I brought up.

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The discussion revolved around critical global health issues, including polio eradication and HIV advancements. Branding the discussion as ‘quite wide-ranging’ he added, “I spoke a lot about HIV and that [The Gates] Foundation is literally working on a cure for that. We’re at an early stage, and so he in the COVID days, accelerated the vaccine innovation,” he said.

He mentioned that Trump seemed fascinated and expressed eagerness to support innovation in tackling these challenges. “So I was asking him if maybe the same kind of thing could be done here. And we both got, I think, pretty excited about that,” Gates told WSJ.

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Polio Eradication: According to the billionaire, polio remains a threat in regions like Pakistan, Afghanistan, and parts of Africa. Trump reportedly showed interest in maximising efforts to achieve this milestone during his term.

Gates joins a growing list of business magnates meeting with Trump following his historic election win. Other prominent figures, such as Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg, have also reportedly visited Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate ahead of his inauguration scheduled on January 20th.

Previously, Gates remained relatively apolitical but recently supported Harris’ campaign with a $50 million donation. Details of the dinner surfaced after Trump made a cryptic post on Truth Social, hinting at Gates’ visit to his Mar-a-Lago estate. “Where are you? When are you coming to the ‘Center of the Universe,’ Mar-a-Lago? Bill Gates asked to come, tonight. We miss you and x! New Year’s Eve is going to be AMAZING!!! DJT,” the incoming president wrote.