Bill Gates has revealed how he sat down for dinner with Donald Trump and came away ‘impressed’ with the President-elect.

The billionaire in the technology industry and well-known for his charitable activities recalled his extended dinner meeting with Trump. He provided a rare insight into the private conversation in a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal.

During the meeting, Gates, Trump, soon-to-be White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and a trusted associate of Gates engaged in a lengthy and stimulating dinner conversation.

Gates described the gathering as a broad discussion that spanned various topics. He mentioned that a significant portion of the three-hour dialogue revolved around global health, an area that is fundamental to Gates’ philanthropic work.

‘You know, global health is the area that I work in, and such amazing things have happened and can happen there.’

Gates elaborated on his efforts to combat HIV, revealing that his foundation is working on a cure for the virus. 

‘We’re at an early stage,’ he admitted, but he noted that Trump’s role during the COVID-19 pandemic in accelerating vaccine development had given him hope. 

‘I was asking him if maybe the same kind of thing could be done here. And we both got, I think, pretty excited about that.’

Tech mogul and philanthropist Bill Gates has revealed how he sat down for dinner with Donald Trump and came away ‘impressed’

The meeting took place as Trump prepares to assume office days from now

Another critical topic was the ongoing fight against polio, a disease that Gates’ foundation has long targeted for eradication.

‘We talked about polio, where we’re very close to getting that done,’ Gates explained while stressing the fragility of such progress. 

‘If you stop, it’ll spread back,’ Gates explained. 

He recounted detailing the challenges faced in regions like 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 an historic accomplishment.

Overall, Gates said he ‘felt like [Trump] was, you know, energized and… looking forward to helping to drive innovation.’

The tech titan, who has spent decades advocating for scientific advancement, appeared genuinely optimistic about Trump’s willingness to engage with such critical issues.

Gates explained to Trump about his efforts to combat HIV, revealing that his foundation is working on a cure for the virus. Gates is pictured on a trip to a hospital in Nigeria

Gates’ meeting focused specifically on actionable goals tied to health and innovation. Gates is pictured on a trip to Africa where he’s looking to eradicate the highly infectious disease of polio

The meeting is the latest in a long line of business leaders attempting to establish a renewed rapport with Trump, with figures including Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg seeking to make inroads with the President-elect. 

Notably absent from Gates’ meeting was Elon Musk, a fellow tech billionaire and known Trump confidant.

While the Wall Street Journal released only a short clip of Gates’ interview, the publication teased how more insights would be revealed following Trump’s inauguration next week.