Bill Gates revealed today that he would be diagnosed with autism if he were a child, in a wide-ranging and surprisingly candid interview that shows how the billionaire will adapt to the new administration.
Speak with The Wall Street Journal in a wide-ranging interview, the 69-year-old made the surprising revelation about his own health and also revealed how he plans to work with Trump to bring about world-changing developments.
‘This whole thing about Asperger’s or the spectrum is quite new; Autism used to be clearly recognisable. I have a behavior where I rock that bothers people, that is also common. So there is a bit of a match.
“Looking back on it, because I didn’t behave in a standard way, that deep concentration applied to math and science became a strength,” Gates said.
Gates also shared more of his previously reported Boxing Day dinner with Trump and their respective chiefs of staff.
Together, he said, they will work to speed up vaccinations in the way Trump was able to do during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The technology mogul and philanthropist also spoke about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who is now in charge of American health, and gave his opinion on Elon Musk.
In an extensive interview with the Wall Street Journal, the 69-year-old made the surprising revelation
![Bill Gates' autism bomb and how the groundbreaking Christmas dinner with Trump shaped their plans for the world 6 Gates also spoke in depth about his ongoing relationship with President Donald Trump](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Bill-Gates-autism-bomb-and-how-the-groundbreaking-Christmas-dinner.jpg)
Gates also spoke in depth about his ongoing relationship with President Donald Trump
Gates said he and Trump, alongside White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and a close confidante of Gates, chatted during a “long and actually quite intriguing dinner.”
“So the four of us sat there, and it was quite extensive,” Gates said, noting that much of the three-hour discussion focused on global health, a cornerstone of Gates’ philanthropic efforts.
“You know, global health is the area I work in, and such amazing things have happened and can happen there.”
Gates elaborated on his efforts to combat HIV and revealed that his foundation is working on a cure for the virus.
“We’re in the early stages,” he conceded, but noted that Trump’s role during the COVID-19 pandemic in accelerating vaccine development had given him hope.
‘I asked him if perhaps the same thing could be done here. And that got us both pretty excited, I think.”
Another crucial topic was the ongoing fight against polio, a disease that the Gates Foundation has long wanted to eradicate.
“We were talking about polio, which we are very close to achieving,” Gates explained, highlighting the fragility of such progress. “If you stop, it spreads back,” Gates explained.
He detailed the challenges faced by regions such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Gaza and parts of Africa.
Trump, Gates said, was “fascinated” by the complexities of achieving eradication and, he claimed, seemed eager to explore how his administration could support the effort.
Gates noted that achieving such a milestone during Trump’s presidency would be a historic achievement.
Overall, Gates said he “felt like Trump was, you know, energetic and … looking forward to helping drive innovation.”
Elon Musk and DOGE
Gates also spoke about Elon Musk, who was put in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by Trump.
He said he had not spoken directly to Elon since his ascendancy among Trump’s allies and that he “admired a lot of the work he’s done.”
According to Gates, the idea of DOGE could be something valuable, saying, “I think the idea that looking at government spending in a sort of zero-base budgeting approach could be valuable.
![Bill Gates' autism bomb and how the groundbreaking Christmas dinner with Trump shaped their plans for the world 7 Gates and Musk shake hands during a breakfast meeting during the 2015 Boao Forum For Asia Annual Conference in Qionghai, China](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737836437_226_Bill-Gates-autism-bomb-and-how-the-groundbreaking-Christmas-dinner.jpeg)
Gates and Musk shake hands during a breakfast meeting during the 2015 Boao Forum For Asia Annual Conference in Qionghai, China
![Bill Gates' autism bomb and how the groundbreaking Christmas dinner with Trump shaped their plans for the world 8 As co-founder of Microsoft, Gates revolutionized the tech world and created a near-monopoly on PC operating systems with Windows](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737836437_779_Bill-Gates-autism-bomb-and-how-the-groundbreaking-Christmas-dinner.jpg)
As co-founder of Microsoft, Gates revolutionized the tech world and created a near-monopoly on PC operating systems with Windows
‘I am one of those people who believe that the budget deficit must be reduced, otherwise we will have a financial problem. Good things could come from that effort.”
Gates added that he was concerned about cuts to certain government services, including HIV drugs.
He said: ‘I believe in HIV medicine, with the US keeping tens of millions of people alive.
“If you cut that off, not only would they die when a cure is on the way, but the negative feelings you would have in Africa would be worse than if we had never done that thing at all.”
Gates was also questioned about his interactions with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and said he was “pretty stupid.”
When asked if he believed he had been played, Gates said, “In retrospect, it was foolish to spend any time with him.
“Yes – I think I was quite stupid, I thought it would help me with global health philanthropy, but it didn’t. It was a big mistake.’
‘When asked if it made him more wary of people, he said; “Sure, I mean, are you kidding me?”
![Bill Gates' autism bomb and how the groundbreaking Christmas dinner with Trump shaped their plans for the world 9 Epstein appears in a photo taken on March 28, 2017 for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services' sex offender registry](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737836438_424_Bill-Gates-autism-bomb-and-how-the-groundbreaking-Christmas-dinner.jpeg)
Epstein appears in a photo taken on March 28, 2017 for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services’ sex offender registry
![Bill Gates' autism bomb and how the groundbreaking Christmas dinner with Trump shaped their plans for the world 10 Bill Gates is pictured at Epstein's Manhattan mansion in 2011, from left: Jes Staley, then a senior director at JPMorgan; former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers; Epstein; Gates and Boris Nikolic, the scientific advisor to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737836438_702_Bill-Gates-autism-bomb-and-how-the-groundbreaking-Christmas-dinner.jpeg)
Bill Gates is pictured at Epstein’s Manhattan mansion in 2011, from left: Jes Staley, then a senior director at JPMorgan; former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers; Epstein; Gates and Boris Nikolic, the scientific advisor to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Gates and Epstein met in New York in 2013, with Epstein encouraging the billionaire to donate money to the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He then donated $2 million to the research lab in 2014, which he could spend in any way they saw fit.
It was previously revealed that Gates was bombarded with requests to meet Epstein by his friends and business associates.
The two eventually met along with other philanthropists in New York in 2013 to discuss “growing philanthropy.” Gates was still chairman of Microsoft at the time.
After the meeting, Gates flew on one of Epstein’s planes to Florida to meet his family in Palm Beach.
He did not fly on the “Lolita Express,” which Epstein allegedly used to transport underage girls to his home in the Virgin Islands. Gates’ donation to MIT came a year after this meeting.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and MAHA
President Trump has nominated RFK Jr. to be his Secretary of Health and Human Services, despite concerns from some about his anti-vax activism.
He has often claimed that there are chemicals in water that make children question their gender and that there are vaccines that cause autism.
In the past, particularly during the pandemic, RFK attacked Gates and Anthony Fauci and called for them to be investigated for criminal misconduct during the pandemic.
He alleged that big pharmaceutical companies deliberately orchestrated fear to make billions of dollars from a racket and has pledged to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA).
![Bill Gates' autism bomb and how the groundbreaking Christmas dinner with Trump shaped their plans for the world 11 Robert F. Kennedy Jr speaking at Bitcoin 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, July 26, 2024](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737836439_720_Bill-Gates-autism-bomb-and-how-the-groundbreaking-Christmas-dinner.jpg)
Robert F. Kennedy Jr speaking at Bitcoin 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, July 26, 2024
Gates told the Wall Street Journal: “He wrote a book saying that Tony Fauci and I killed millions of children and made billions of dollars in vaccines. People can judge for themselves whether that is correct or not.’
As co-founder of Microsoft, Gates revolutionized the tech world and created a near-monopoly on PC operating systems with Windows.
Since stepping down as CEO of Microsoft in 2000, he has focused on philanthropy through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, overseeing a portfolio worth billions of dollars.
His new autobiography will hit shelves in February this year.