Bill Gates revealed 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 to the Wall Street Journal in a wide-ranging interview, 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 Asperger's or on the spectrum thing 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 is also common. So there's a bit of a match there.
“Looking back on it, because I didn't behave in a standard way, that deep concentration applied to math and science, that became a strength,” Gates said.
Gates also shared more of his previously reported second Christmas dinner with Trump and their respective chiefs of staff.
Together, he said, they will work to speed up vaccines in the way Trump was able to do during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The tech mogul and philanthropist also spoke about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who was now in charge of American health and gave his opinion on Elon Musk.
Speaking to 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
Gates said he and Trump, along with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and a close confidant of Gates, chatted over a “long and actually quite intriguing dinner.”
“So the four of us sat there, and it was pretty broad,” Gates said, noting that much of the three-hour discussion focused on Global Health, a cornerstone of Gates' philanthropic efforts.
“You know, global health is the area I work in, and such great things have happened and can happen there.”
Gates expanded on his efforts to combat HIV and revealed that his foundation is working on a cure for the virus.
“We're in the early stages,” he admitted, but noted that Trump's role during the Covid-19 pandemic in accelerating vaccine development had given him hope.
'I asked him if perhaps the same kind of things could be done here. And we're both, I think, pretty excited about that. '
Another critical issue was the ongoing battle against polio, a disease that Gates' foundation has long aimed at eradication.
“We talked about Polio, which we are very close to doing,” Gates explained, highlighting the fragility of such progress. “If you stop, it will spread back,” Gates explained.
He talked about the challenges faced in regions such as 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 a historic achievement.
Overall, Gates said he “felt [Trump] Was, you know, energetic and… looking forward to driving innovation. '
Elon Musk and Doge
Gates also spoke about Elon Musk, who was given control of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) by Trump
He said he had not spoken directly to Elon since his ascendency among Trump's allies and that he “admired a lot of the work he's done.”
According to Gates, Doge's idea could be something valuable, saying, “I think the idea that looking at government spending on a kind of zero-base budgeting approach is a valuable one.”
Gates and Musk Shake Hands during a breakfast meeting during the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2015 in Qionghai, China
As co-founder of Microsoft, Gates revolutionized the tech world, creating a near-monopoly in Windows PC operating systems
“I am among those who believe that the deficit must be brought down, otherwise it will create a financial problem for us. That effort could come with some good things. '
Gates added that he was concerned about certain government departments being cut, including HIV medicine.
He said: ''I believe in HIV medicine, which the US keeps tens of millions of people alive.
“If you cut that off, not only would they die if we have a cure on the way, the negative feelings you would have said in Africa would be worse than never doing that thing at all.”
Gates was also questioned about his interactions with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and said he was “pretty stupid.”
When asked if he believed he had been played, Gates said: “In retrospect, I was a fool to spend time with him.
'Yes – I think I was quite stupid, I thought it would help me with global health philanthropy, it couldn't do that. It was a big mistake. '
'When asked if it made him wary of people, he said; “Absolutely, I mean, are you kidding me?”
Epstein appears in a photo 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 Mansion in 2011, from left: Jes Staley, then a senior JPMorgan director; former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers; Epstein; Gates and Boris Nikolic, the science advisor to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
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 then donated $2 million to the research lab in 2014 to be spent in any way they needed.
It was previously 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 New York in 2013 to discuss “growing philanthropy.” Gates was still chairman of Microsoft at the time.
After the meeting, Gates flew on one of Epstein's planes to Florida to meet 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 as his secretary of health and human services, despite concerns from some about his anti-vax activism.
He has often pushed claims including there are chemicals in water that cause children to question their gender and vaccines that cause 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 pharmaceutical companies deliberately orchestrated fear to make billions of dollars in a racket and vowed to make America healthy again (Maha).
Robert F. Kennedy Jr speaking at Bitcoin 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA 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 is correct or not. '
As co-founder of Microsoft, Gates revolutionized the tech world, creating a near-monopoly in Windows PC operating systems.
Since stepping down as CEO of Microsoft in 2000, he has focused on philanthropy through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which oversees a portfolio worth billions of dollars.
His new autobiography will hit shelves in February this year.
