Melinda French Gates takes aim at Trump's billionaire tech titans after ex-husband Bill's chat with president
Melinda French Gates has made a glaring dig at Donald Trump 's tech billionaire friends for not staying true to their values.
The billionaire philanthropist and businesswoman, 60, voiced her concern over Silicon Valley's political shift to the right and argued that many leading figures are only 'pivoting' because of public relations and image.
It comes after tech giants, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, and Apple CEO Tim Cook were all front and center at Trump's inauguration in January, and after her ex-husband, Bill Gates, sat down with the president at the White House to discuss his philanthropic efforts.
Speaking on the latest episode of Bloomberg's The Circuit podcast, Melinda said: 'What I have seen in the last six months to a year is, many people who used to say one thing have absolutely shifted over here [gesturing to the right].'
'A democracy is made up by our beliefs and our investments and our values.
'We, of all times right now, should be living those values out, not pivoting to what some comms person tells us is the right thing to do. That would be ridiculous.'
Melinda went on to add that the world will one day look unfavorably at those companies who removed their DEI initiatives because of Trump's executive order.
'You have to look at society,' she continued.
'Who's in our society right now and does our democracy, do our state legislatures and does our Senate or our Congress look like society? The answer is no.
'The reason you need to have of all society representative in the legislature in any governing body is because they make good policy based on their lived experience.'
Melinda, who was married to Microsoft founder Bill for 27 years, has slammed Trump in the past, having condemned the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
'I'm both surprised we weren't better prepared, but quite honestly I'm surprised we've wasted so much time,' she said.
'That we haven't had leadership at the national level to get out tests in the right way, protective gear in the right way, contact tracing in the right way.
'With lack of leadership, there are 50 homegrown state solutions, and that just shouldn't be.'
Last June, during the 2024 presidential race, Melinda proudly endorsed Kamala Harris.
'During her years in the White House, she has proven that she knows how to lead through crises while pushing for the change we need,' she said.
'I want her fighting for our country for the next four years.'
In her public endorsement, shared on X (formerly Twitter), Melinda emphasized the need for a leader who champions women's rights and fights for reproductive freedom across the country.
'There is so much riding on the election in November. We need a leader who will stand up for reproductive freedom. A leader who understands that supporting caregivers leads to healthier families and a stronger economy,' she continued.
She also highlighted Kamala's efforts to tackle racial disparities in maternal health care, and lead on affordable childcare and elder care policies.
'She has been crisscrossing the country to make the case for reproductive rights while courts and state legislatures are trying to take them away.
'She spearheaded legislation to eliminate racial disparities in maternal health care. She is leading on policies to make paid leave, childcare, and elder care more affordable for families.'
Melinda's announcement came hot on the heels of her previous endorsement of Joe Biden, before he dropped out of the race.
'I absolutely am not voting for Trump, and I will vote for Biden,' she told CBS Mornings.
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