During a recent dinner at the White House, billionaire Bill Gates shared his vision for advancing vaccines and gene editing with President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. The gathering included prominent figures like Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and Apple CEO Tim Cook. Trump praised the assembly, claiming, “This is definitely a high IQ group.”
In his remarks, Gates expressed enthusiasm about American innovation in health. He stated, “The thing that ties my first career, that I still spend some time on because A.I. is so phenomenal, and my second career, is innovation.” He discussed plans to take health and disease management to unprecedented heights, highlighting the potential to cure and eradicate diseases.
Gates mentioned that progress is being made toward curing polio, while acknowledging that “new science” is vital for addressing HIV and sickle cell anemia. He credited Trump for the success of Operation Warp Speed, which hastened the COVID vaccine rollout. “The work being done by the people at this table is changing the world,” Gates declared, emphasizing the potential for these innovations to reach not only Americans but also individuals in underserved communities globally.
However, the dinner did not sit well with all. On social media, conservatives voiced their discontent at the collaboration between Trump and Gates. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene asserted, “For the record, I’m not going to ever eat Bill Gates’ fake meat, bugs, take the never-ending vaccines, or gene editing.” Meanwhile, conservative commentator Mike Cernovich questioned Gates’s presence in the White House, stating, “There is no reason for Bill Gates to be in the White House.”
Notably absent from the event was SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who tweeted that he had been invited but was unable to attend. The dinner was originally intended to take place outdoors to showcase the newly paved Rose Garden, but inclement weather forced a change of plans.
Despite the controversy surrounding Gates, the tech leaders present largely expressed support for Trump’s policies. OpenAI founder Sam Altman thanked Trump for his focus on pro-business and pro-innovation initiatives. He remarked, “I think it’s going to set us up for a long period of leading the world, and that wouldn’t be happening without your leadership.”
This dinner underscored the intersection of politics, technology, and health innovation, alongside the divides in public opinion regarding these powerful figures and their agendas.
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