Imagine this: Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, sitting down for a long dinner with none other than Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. It sounds like something out of a movie, right? But that’s exactly what happened shortly after Christmas.
Gates, who’s been at the helm of the Gates Foundation’s mission to fight global health issues, shared with The Independent that the dinner was a deep conversation about global health. He and Trump talked about how to combat major challenges like HIV and polio, and most importantly, Gates made sure to urge the President-elect to keep U.S. funding strong for research in these areas.
As you might expect, Elon Musk has been spotted around Mar-a-Lago quite a bit, especially after he invested $250 million in Trump’s presidential campaign. Gates admitted that he was curious if Musk would be joining their dinner, but in the end, it was just Gates and Trump with their two staff members.
But that didn’t stop the dinner from being an interesting one. Gates shared in a separate interview with The Wall Street Journal that he was “impressed” with Trump’s eagerness to learn about global health challenges. In fact, the conversation turned to how they might develop a cure for HIV. Gates was excited to talk about how Trump had fast-tracked vaccine development during the Covid crisis and wondered if they could apply the same fast-paced innovation to fighting HIV.
One thing was clear from Gates: Trump seemed genuinely interested and energized by the possibility of making a real difference in these areas. Gates was particularly impressed with Trump’s attention to the issues and his willingness to push for progress.
This dinner was just the latest in a series of meetings where powerful business leaders are trying to get Trump’s ear. And if you look around, you’ll notice that some big names like Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg are all making moves to get closer to Trump ahead of his potential return to office.
Musk, who has given millions to Trump’s campaign, is also expected to speak at a pre-inauguration rally. Zuckerberg and Bezos, who are both familiar faces in the tech world, have made strategic shifts in their companies to align with Trump’s policies. In fact, Meta (formerly Facebook) has even made significant changes to their diversity programs and content policies to align more with Trump’s political views.
It’s clear that these tech billionaires are all trying to forge closer ties with the former president. As for Gates, his focus remains on making sure that crucial global health efforts don’t lose momentum in the coming years.
It’s a fascinating mix of business, politics, and global health—one that could shape the future of these important issues.
