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

The tech mogul and philanthropist recounted his extended sit-down meal with Trump and offered a rare glimpse into the private discussion with The Wall Street Journal.

The meeting saw Gates, Trump, incoming White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and a close confidante of Gates chat over a ‘long and actually quite intriguing dinner.’

‘So the four of us sat there, and it was quite wide-ranging,’ Gates said, noting that much of the three-hour discussion was focused on global health, a cornerstone of Gates’ philanthropic efforts. 

‘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.’

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.

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.