Bill Gates Says He Warned Donald Trump of Threat of Pandemic Back in 2016, 'Feels Terrible' Now

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has already committed hundreds of millions of dollars to the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic, while its co-founder, and one of the world’s wealthiest people, Bill Gates was cautioning the public about the dangers of infectious diseases as early as 2015.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates warned Donald Trump about the threat posed to the US by pandemics during a meeting with the then-president-elect at Trump Tower back in December 2016, the billionaire told the Wall Street Journal.

“I feel terrible. The whole point of talking about it was that we could take action and minimise the damage… I wish I had done more to call attention to the danger”, the Microsoft founder said.

Gates said that he held discussions about the need to prioritise US preparedness for any infectious outbreaks with other 2016 presidential hopefuls, and with many world leaders, who, while praising Gates’ concerns and efforts, were not ready to provide any concrete measures or solid answers to the questions he posed.

Bill Gates Says He Warned Donald Trump of Threat of Pandemic Back in 2016, 'Feels Terrible' Now

In this Feb. 1, 2019, Bill and Melinda Gates look toward each other and smile while being interviewed in Kirkland, Wash. The couple, whose foundation has the largest endowment in the world, are pushing back against a new wave of criticism about whether billionaire philanthropy is a force for good

This was not the first time that the world’s second-richest person raised the issue. During a TED talk back in 2015, Gates pointed out that the greatest risk the world faced came not from potential nuclear catastrophes, but from dangerous viruses.

So far, the philanthropist has invested hundreds of millions of dollars, including $100 million through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to develop vaccines, tracking systems and tests as a part of global efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic. His wife and the organisation’s co-founder Melinda, ranked by the Forbes as one of the world’s most influential women, earlier slammed the Trump administration’s efforts to deal with the outbreak, giving it a “D-minus” for its response to the crisis.

Sourse: sputniknews.com

Bill Gates Says He Warned Donald Trump of Threat of Pandemic Back in 2016, ‘Feels Terrible’ Now

0.00 (0%) 0 votes

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here