New Delhi: With just two weeks remaining until the US presidential elections, a report from The New York Times has revealed that Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, is supporting Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in her 2024 presidential campaign. Gates, who has generally stayed neutral in political matters, made a substantial donation of about $50 million to a nonprofit organization backing Harris. This donation, intended to remain confidential, represents a notable shift in Gates’s approach to political contributions, as he has traditionally refrained from large political gifts.
The report suggests that Gates’s decision was partly driven by concerns over a potential second term for Donald Trump. In private conversations, Gates has reportedly expressed apprehensions about the possible effects of Trump’s policies on global health programs and family planning initiatives, areas in which the Gates Foundation has significant involvement. Although Gates maintains that he could work with either candidate, he fears that Trump’s administration might implement cuts in these critical areas. His donation was channeled through Future Forward USA Action, a 501(c)(4) “dark money” organization that keeps donor identities private, allowing Gates’s support to remain unofficially recorded.
In a statement to The New York Times, Gates emphasized his generally bipartisan stance, but he acknowledged the particular importance of the upcoming election. “I support candidates who demonstrate a clear commitment to improving health care, reducing poverty, and fighting climate change in the US and around the world,” Gates said. He underscored that this election is different due to its significant implications for both Americans and vulnerable populations globally. Despite his usual reluctance to engage directly in political endorsements, he noted, “I have a long history of working with leaders across the political spectrum, but this election is different, with unprecedented significance for Americans and the most vulnerable people around the world.”
Gates’s new political engagement contrasts with his previous stance against large donations, which he believed could compromise his ability to work effectively with leaders across party lines. His stance in 2019 reflected this, as he remarked, “There are times it might feel tempting to do so, and there are other people who choose to do so, but I just don’t want to grab that gigantic megaphone.” However, recent encouragement from his children, Rory and Phoebe, who have become active Democratic donors, as well as the political involvement of his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, may have influenced his decision to step into the political arena. As the election draws nearer, polls indicate a competitive race, with betting platforms like Polymarket and PredictIt showing Trump as the frontrunner. Gates’s financial support is likely aimed at bolstering Harris’s campaign efforts, especially in countering the pro-Trump narrative through advertising, despite some restrictions on “dark money” spending for explicitly political messaging.
