Bill Gates roasts Elon Musk during Colbert interview and says he 'looks forward' to Trump meeting
Source: The Independent
Friday 09 May 2025 12:55 BST
Billionaire Bill Gates doubled down on his criticism of Elon Musk when he appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The Microsoft founder also elaborated on his decision to donate much of the remainder of his fortune to the Gates Foundation over the next twenty years.
Gates, 69, told Colbert on Thursday evening that he estimates his gesture will be worth approximately $200bn over the next 20 years and enable the foundation to contribute to the global fight against childhood mortality and deadly diseases like malaria and HIV. The announcement comes as Donald Trump’s administration has effectively shuttered the United States Agency for International Development and slashed funding for healthcare programs around the world, much of which is being overseen by Musk’s DOGE.
Prior to his interview with Colbert, Gates had told The Financial Times that the Tesla and SpaceX boss was responsible for “killing the world’s poorest children” through his activities in government. Musk responded angrily to a clip of Gates making a similar accusation on CBS Morning, saying in an X post: “Gates is a huge liar.”
Revisiting the subject of DOGE’s cuts with Colbert, Gates was asked: “Does it make any sense to you, does the rationale make any sense to you, do you talk to these people, you must talk to some of them and say, ‘Why are you doing this, guys?’” He answered: “I’ve been out in the field with the people who work for USAID and seen the brilliant work they do and how important that is. “Unfortunately, you know, there was a weekend where it was decided they were criminals and they were put in the woodchipper, and so we lost a lot of capacity there. Now, we can get it back. Eventually, Congress is the one who will have the final word on this.
Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/bill-gates-elon-musk-stephen-colbert-b2747892.html