Bill Gates paid a secret visit to the White House on Friday to personally plead with Secretary of State Marco Rubio to reverse cuts to foreign aid that were spearheaded by tech rival Elon Musk, according to a report.
Gates, the Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist who has been vocal in his opposition to cuts made by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, sought an audience with Rubio after his boss’s fallout with the Tesla mogul, former Puck reporter Tara Palmeri reported on her Red Letter newsletter.
President Trump and Musk, once close political allies, traded barbs on social media last week — ending a partnership that began during the 2024 presidential campaign.
“With Musk on the outs, Gates clearly saw an opportunity to argue for the reversal of the DOGE cuts,” Palmeri reported.
DOGE slashed more than $8 billion in funding for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which provides assistance in the areas of HIV and AIDS prevention in Africa as well as treating malaria and other infectious diseases on the continent.
According to Palmeri, however, Gates’ pleas fell on deaf ears as Rubio told the software mogul that there are no plans to reverse the USAID cuts.
“[Rubio] said the country is insolvent, we can’t pay back our debts,” a source with knowledge of the situation told Palmeri.
Gates was likewise observed in the West Wing and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Friday, making his appearance around 4 p.m., according to Palmeri.
The mogul appeared just after Trump’s departure for his Bedminster golf course.
Officials within the administration would neither confirm nor deny that Gates met with the president, whose attention on Friday was reportedly consumed by calls from journalists inquiring Elon Musk.
Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson, told The Post: “We don’t comment on private meetings that may or may not have occurred.”
The New York Times’ Teddy Schleifer reported over the weekend that Rubio had refused to meet with Gates for months despite Gates’s repeated attempts.
Senior State Department officials told Palmeri that Gates sought a meeting with Rubio in April.
“The Secretary’s position on making important and necessary cuts to foreign aid has not changed,” a senior State Department official told The Post, confirming the meeting.
“He does not believe US taxpayers should be burdened with covering the costs for progressive projects abroad, including funding contraceptives, electric buses, and DEI.”
The official added that “as the secretary has repeatedly mentioned, the future of foreign aid under the Trump Administration means that we will only be funding true lifesaving programs and initiatives that advance our national interests.”
The Post has sought comment from Gates.
Gates was incensed by the DOGE cuts, accusing Musk of “killing the world’s poorest children.” Musk hit back last month, lashing out at Gates over his past ties to the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
“Who does Bill Gates think he is to make comments about the welfare of children given that he frequented Jeffrey Epstein?” Musk said during an interview on Tuesday at the Bloomberg Qatar Economic Forum.
“I wouldn’t trust that guy to baby-sit my kids, I can tell you that.”
