Billionaire Bill Gates details the dinner that left him “admiring” President-elect Trump

Billionaire Bill Gates He recently provided a rare glimpse into his private conversation with President-elect Donald Trump and a nearly three-hour dinner that left him “impressed.” Gates, who supported Trump’s 2024 opponent, Vice President Harris, appeared to emerge from the dinner with feelings of optimism about the president-elect.

“I had the opportunity about a fortnight ago to have a long and interesting dinner with him actually.” Gates told the Wall Street Journal.

In his interview, Gates detailed the “wide-ranging” dinner conversation, noting that he spoke with Trump about public health, which has been the main focus of Gates’ philanthropic efforts.

“I felt like he was energized and looking to help drive innovation,” Gates told the Wall Street Journal. “I was honestly impressed by how deeply he cared about the issues I raised.”

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Gates’ dinner with Trump comes with a growing group of people Billionaires and technology leaders They flock to meet the president-elect before his historic return to the White House. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos had dinner with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort and pledged $1 million to the president-elect’s inaugural fund. Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Platforms also provided $1 million to the fund.

Citing people familiar with the discussion, the Wall Street Journal reported that the promise of a paycheck came before Zuckerberg met Trump at a Mar-a-Lago dinner in November after the Republican won the presidential election.

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At the dinner, according to the outlet, Zuckerberg also gave a demo of the company’s latest invention — Ray Ban smart glasses — and dedicated them to Trump.

Bezos, who also made the trip to Trump’s Florida ranch, said he left the dinner feeling “very optimistic” about the incoming administration. He also brushed aside concerns about Trump’s relationship with Elon Musk.

“Elon has been very clear that he is doing this for the greater good and not for personal gain. I take him very seriously,” Bezos told Reuters, referring to the SpaceX CEO.

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Trump’s relationship with billionaires and tech moguls has changed dramatically since 2020, when he was banned from several social media platforms. Back in October, Gates was quoted privately as saying that… He gave about $50 million To a non-profit organization supporting Vice President Harris.

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Additionally, Zuckerberg announced the end of Meta’s controversial fact-checking policies in an effort to bring back “freedom of expression on Facebook and Instagram.” Zuckerberg acknowledged that the checks, which began in the wake of Trump’s 2016 victory, “destroyed more trust than they created.” He also stated that the policies led to a “significant amount of censorship,” even though the company is trying “in good faith” to “address concerns” about misinformation.