Billionaire and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates reportedly gave $50 million to a nonprofit organization supporting Vice President Kamala Harris.
Three sources confirmed to the New York Times that Bill Gates donated to Future Forward, though he reportedly wanted the donation to remain private, considering he often does not endorse presidential candidates. Social media in support of Harris campaign celebrated news of his donation.
“Bill Gates just contributed more than $50 million to organizations supporting Kamala Harris. This is huge,” announced the account Kamala’s Wins.
BREAKING: Bill Gates just contributed more than $50 million to organizations supporting Kamala Harris. This is huge.
— Kamala’s Wins (@harris_wins) October 22, 2024
According to the New York Times, Gates expressed dissatisfaction with a second Trump term in a private phone call, though he did say he his open to work with either administration.
“The donation from Gates comes after a Forbes analysis found 81 billionaires are backing Harris, compared to the 50 billionaires supporting Trump,” noted Fox Business. “Harris boasts supporters include LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank.”
While Gates has chosen to keep his political activism private this election cycle, his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, enthusiastically endorsed Joe Biden this past June before he dropped out of the race. She mostly based her endorsement on abortion.
In her endorsement, Melinda Gates characterized the former president’s administration as being outright hostile toward women, citing his calls to lock Hillary Clinton in jail (which he never did while president) and his appointment of Supreme Court Justices to overturn Roe v. Wade.
I’ve never endorsed a presidential candidate before. But this year’s election stands to be so enormously consequential for women and families that, this time, I can’t stay quiet.
Women deserve a leader who cares about the issues they face and is committed to protecting their…
— Melinda French Gates (@melindagates) June 20, 2024
Gates did not credit the former president for appointing Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court – the fifth woman in history to have that title.
By Gates account, returning abortion to the power of the states has made the country a catastrophic place for women.
