The billionaire has shared insights into his “intriguing” dinner with the US President-elect
Bill Gates has discussed with US President-elect Donald Trump how lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic could be used to “accelerate innovation” in addressing other global health challenges, according to a snippet of his interview with The Wall Street Journal.
The billionaire Microsoft founder and global healthcare advocate described his recent three-hour dinner with Trump as “long and actually quite intriguing.” The meeting, which included incoming White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and one of Gates’ staffers, reportedly focused on how Trump could contribute to significant milestones, such as developing a cure for HIV and eradicating polio.
“He was fascinated to hear what he could do to maximize the chance that during the next four years that incredible milestone [eradication of polio] will be achieved,” Gates said in a clip published by The Wall Street Journal on Friday.
Reflecting on Trump’s role during the Covid pandemic, Gates recalled how he had “accelerated the vaccine innovation,” and urged Trump to take a similar approach with the HIV cure that the Gates Foundation is actively working on.
“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 remarked.
“I was frankly impressed with how well he showed a lot of interest in the issues I brought up,” he added, noting that Trump appeared “energized and looking forward to helping to drive innovation.”
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the largest non-state contributors to the World Health Organization (WHO), has played a pivotal role in global health initiatives. The foundation supports efforts to combat diseases such as malaria, HIV, and polio, alongside funding vaccine development and distribution programs.
Trump, who has held several meetings with prominent business and technology leaders in recent months, has yet to comment on details of his discussions with Gates.
The meeting comes as Trump prepares to assume office again, potentially signaling major shifts in healthcare policy. Some reports suggested Trump may revisit his previous attempt to withdraw the United States from the WHO. During his first term, Trump accused the organization of being overly influenced by China and criticized its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. While he initiated the withdrawal process in 2020, President Joe Biden reestablished ties with the WHO on January 20, 2021.
Additionally, Trump has nominated vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), though the appointment awaits Senate approval. RFK Jr. has been a vocal critic of Covid-19 response measures, such as lockdowns and rapid vaccine rollouts. He has also publicly criticized Gates, accusing him of leveraging “philanthro-capitalism” to gain influence over global health policies.
“He’s gotten control of the World Health Organization so that they mandate vaccines all over the world and the companies that make those vaccines are, Gates’ and many of them the major shareholder,” RFK Jr. said in one of the interviews, recollecting his 2021 book dubbed The Real Anthony Fauci.
