President-elect Trump said that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates asked to visit his Florida resort Mar-a-Lago on Friday night.
“Where are you? When are you coming to the ‘Center of the Universe,’ Mar-a-Lago. Bill Gates asked to come, tonight,” Trump wrote in a Friday morning Truth Social post. “We miss you and x! New Year’s Eve is going to be AMAZING!!!”
Trump’s post on the platform comes as some major automotive and tech companies have pledged or have already dished out contributions to the president-elect’s inaugural fund. Those include Toyota, Ford, Amazon, Meta, OpenAI and others.
Various tech executives have also already met with Trump in Florida, hoping, in part, to forge a better relationship with the Republican as his administration is set to kick off in late January.
Gates has been critical of Trump in the past, specifically about his foreign policy rhetoric as well as his administration’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the Microsoft co-founder congratulated Trump on his November victory over Vice President Harris, despite endorsing the Democratic nominee and reportedly boosting a Harris-aligned PAC with a $50 million donation. His ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, also endorsed Harris in the 2024 White House contest.
Gates, a tech billionaire, met with Trump in New York City in December 2016.
“It was a good time,” Gates said at the time. “We had a good conversation about innovation, how it can help in health, education, the impact of foreign aid and energy, and a wide-ranging conversation about power of innovation.”
When reached over email, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pointed The Hill to Gates Venture, the billionaire’s personal service company, for comment.
The Hill has reached out to Gates Venture for additional information.
