Bill Gates spills the tea on dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago

Palm Beach, Florida - Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates spilled some details about his dinner with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago shortly after Christmas.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in December, where they discussed HIV and polio.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in December, where they discussed HIV and polio.  © Collage: Alex Kent & John MacDougall / AFP

Speaking with The Independent, Gates said that he had urged Trump to continue US funding of research into HIV and polio, an area in which his foundation does a lot of work.

"When I went down to see Trump, I wondered if Elon would be there, but it ended up being a meeting with just Trump and I and our two staff people," the billionaire said.

Gates was one of a growing number of unelected oligarchs that have gotten progressively closer to Trump in recent months, securing an outsized influence on the incoming administration's policies.

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Musk in particular has become a key figure and will lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, tasked with cutting public resources.

In a separate interview with the Wall Street Journal, Gates said that their dinner was "long and actually quite intriguing."

"He, in the Covid days, accelerated the vaccine innovation. 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," he said.

"I felt like he was energized and looking forward to helping to drive innovation. I was frankly impressed with how well he showed a lot of interest in the issues I brought up."

Gates has long used his immense wealth to shape government and public health policies to his designs.

Cover photo: Collage: Alex Kent & John MacDougall / AFP

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