Bill Gates' autism bombshell and how breakthrough Christmas dinner with Trump shaped their plans for the world
Bill Gates revealed that he would be diagnosed with autism if he were a child today in a wide-ranging and surprisingly candid interview that reveals how the billionaire will adapt to the new administration.
Speaking with The Wall Street Journal ahead of the release of his memoir, the 69-year-old made the bombshell revelation about his own health and also revealed how he plans to work with the Trump to achieve world-changing developments.
'This whole thing of Asperger's or on the spectrum is a fairly new thing, it used to be that autism was clearly identifiable. I have a behavior where I rock that bothers people, that's also common. So there's a bit of a match there.
'Looking back on that, because I didn't behave in a standard way, that deep concentration that got applied to math and science, that became a strength,' Gates said.
Gates also shared more from his previously reported Boxing Day dinner with Trump and their respective chiefs of staff.
Together, he said, they will work to fast-track vaccines in the way that Trump was able to do during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tech mogul and philanthropist also spoke about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. now being in charge of America's health, and gave his thoughts on Elon Musk.
Speaking with the Wall Street Journal in a wide-ranging interview, the 69-year-old made the bombshell revelation
Gates also spoke in depth about his ongoing relationship with President Donald Trump
Dinner with Trump
Gates said he and Trump, alongside White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and a close confidante of Gates chatted over a 'long and actually quite intriguing dinner.'
'So the four of us sat there, and it was quite wide-ranging,' Gates said, noting that much of the three-hour discussion was focused on global health, a cornerstone of Gates' philanthropic efforts.
'You know, global health is the area that I work in, and such amazing things have happened and can happen there.'
Gates elaborated on his efforts to combat HIV, revealing that his foundation is working on a cure for the virus.
'We're at an early stage,' he admitted, but he noted that Trump's role during the COVID-19 pandemic in accelerating vaccine development had given him hope.
'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.'
Another critical topic was the ongoing fight against polio, a disease that Gates' foundation has long targeted for eradication.
'We talked about polio, where we're very close to getting that done,' Gates explained while stressing the fragility of such progress. 'If you stop, it'll spread back,' Gates explained.
He recounted detailing the challenges faced in regions like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Gaza, and parts of Africa.
Trump, Gates said, was 'fascinated' by the complexities of achieving eradication and, he claims, seemed eager to explore how his administration could support the effort.
Gates noted that achieving such a milestone during Trump’s presidency would be an historic accomplishment.
Overall, Gates said he 'felt like [Trump] was, you know, energized and… looking forward to helping to drive innovation.'
Elon Musk and DOGE
Gates also spoke about Elon Musk who has been given the reigns of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by Trump
He said that he hadn't spoke to Elon directly since his ascendency amongst Trump's allies and that he 'admired a lot of the work he has done'.
According to Gates the idea of DOGE could be a 'valuable thing, saying: 'I think the idea that looking at government expenditures on a sort of zero base budgeting approach could be a valuable thing.
Gates and Musk shake hands at a breakfast meeting during the Boao Forum For Asia Annual Conference 2015 in Qionghai, China
As the co-founder of Microsoft, Gates revolutionized the tech world, creating a near-monopoly in PC operating systems with Windows
‘I’m amongst the people that believe the deficit needs to be brought down, because otherwise it will create a financial problem for us. That effort could come up with some good things.'
Gates added that he did have some concerns over certain government departments being cut including HIV medicines.
He said: '‘I believe in HIV medicines, where the US is keeping tens of millions of people alive.
'If you cut those off, not only would they die when we have a cure on its way, the negative feelings you’d have say in Africa would be worse than never having done that thing at all.'
Relationship with Jeffrey Epstein
Gates was also questioned over his interactions with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, saying he was 'quite stupid'.
When asked if he believed he had been played, Gates said: 'In retrospect, I was foolish to spend any time with him.
'Yes - I think I was quite stupid, I thought it would help me with global health philanthropy, it failed to do that. It was a huge mistake.'
‘When asked if it made him more wary of people, he said; ‘Definitely, I mean are you kidding?’
Epstein appears in a photograph taken for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services' sex offender registry on March 28, 2017
Bill Gates is pictured at Epstein's Manhattan mansion in 2011, from left: Jes Staley, at the time a senior JPMorgan executive; former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers; Epstein; Gates and Boris Nikolic, who was the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's science adviser
Gates and Epstein met in New York in 2013, with Epstein encouraging the billionaire to donate money to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab.
He went on to donate $2 million to the research laboratory in 2014 to be spent in any way they saw fit.
It had previously been revealed that Gates was bombarded with requests to meet Epstein by his friends and business associates.
The two finally met along with other philanthropists in 2013 in New York to discuss 'growing philanthropy'. Gates was still chairman of Microsoft at the time.
Following the meeting, Gates flew on one of Epstein's planes to Florida to meet with his family in Palm Beach.
He did not fly on the 'Lolita Express', which Epstein allegedly used to transport underage girls to his home in the Virgin Islands. Gates' donation to MIT came a year after this meeting.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and MAHA
President Trump has nominated RFK Jr to be his Secretary of Health and Human Services, despite concerns from some over his anti-vax activism.
He has frequently pedaled claims including there are chemicals in water that are making kids question their gender and vaccines causing autism.
In the past, specifically during the pandemic, RFK attacked Gates and Anthony Fauci and called for them to be investigated for criminal wrongdoing over the pandemic.
He claimed that big pharma companies deliberately orchestrated fear to make billions of dollars in a racket and has vowed to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA).
Robert F. Kennedy Jr speaks at Bitcoin 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. July 26, 2024
Gates told the Wall Street Journal: ‘He wrote a book saying that Tony Fauci and I killed millions of children and made billions of dollars in vaccines. People can judge for themselves whether that’s correct or not.’
As the co-founder of Microsoft, Gates revolutionized the tech world, creating a near-monopoly in PC operating systems with Windows.
Since stepping down as Microsoft’s CEO in 2000, he has focused on philanthropy through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, overseeing a portfolio valued at billions of dollars.
His new autobiography is set to hit the shelves in February of this year.
