Bill Gates’ ex-wife has endorsed Joe Biden and Elon Musk thinks this is a terrible idea
Elon Musk, billionaire tech entrepreneur, has expressed his disapproval of Melinda French Gates’ endorsement of US President Joe Biden, suggesting it could have negative consequences for the West.
Melinda French Gates, the ex-wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, endorsed Biden on Thursday, highlighting his support for women’s issues. Biden is running for re-election against his predecessor, Donald Trump, in November.
“I am once again asking for the scorned billionaire wife to Democrat activist pipeline to be studied,” conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair (formerly Twitter) wrote in response. “Melinda Gates is about to spend so much divorce money on getting Joe Biden elected.”
“Might be the downfall of western civilization,” Musk wrote on Twitter. He also agreed with St. Clair’s follow-up that “many villain arcs [are] being pursued under the guise of philanthropy.”
French Gates’ 2021 divorce left her with an estimated net worth of over $11 billion. She quickly transitioned from her foundation work to political activism on behalf of the Democrats.
The Democratic Party in Washington already has a prominent ex-wife of a tech mogul in a major supporting role, however. Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, had used some of his inheritance to donate to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
The Emerson Collective, which she founded in 2004 to focus on educational philanthropy and social justice, expanded its portfolio to immigration advocacy during the Obama administration. Powell Jobs has since used it to buy The Atlantic magazine in 2017 and a stake in Axios.
Meanwhile, Musk’s political views shifted towards the Republicans after Biden took office. The Tesla founder and SpaceX CEO ended up buying Twitter in 2022, after voicing concerns about censorship on the platform, and rebranding it as X.
He has stopped just short of endorsing Trump in the 2024 election, but has endorsed a Republican victory as a way to prevent the US from collapsing.
“I voted 100% [Democrat] until a few years ago. Now, I think we need a red wave or America is toast,” Musk tweeted in March.