Bill Gates says it’s ‘great to have somebody who’s younger’ after Kamala Harris joins 2024 race

WASHINGTON, DC: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates weighed in on the 2024 presidential election and commented on Vice President Kamala Harris making a late entry in the race during his recent interview with the news outlet France24. 

Harris had announced she was running for the White House only four months before the November general election, on July 21, when incumbent Joe Biden announced suspending his presidential campaign and backed her as his successor.

She saw a meteoric rise in support following the announcement, as within the next day, she had locked up the endorsement of more than the 1,976 delegates required to become her party's presumptive nominee. The Harris campaign had also shared that they collected $81 million within 24 hours of announcing her candidacy, which was touted as the "largest 24-hour raise in presidential history".

Bill Gates' comments on Kamala Harris' candidacy and general election

While he refrained from directly endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the top office in the country, Bill Gates said, "I think it's great to have somebody who's younger, who can think about things like AI and how we shape that in the right way and I certainly offer up my opinions to the politicians who are interested."

Before the events of July 21, the two contenders for the White House, President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump, were the oldest candidates to face off in a general election in the history of the United States, at ages 81 and 78 respectively. Harris, at 59 years, is significantly younger than both of them.

When asked if he wanted to see a Harris presidency, the co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said, "I don’t tell other people how to vote because I’m so associated with the foundation that works with any administration."

He accepted that his "individual vote you might be able to predict" but acknowledged that he planned to "prioritize whoever’s elected" as he has in the past to continue to advance his foundation’s efforts for "the world’s children", as per Fox Business.

"So it's going to be an interesting election. I hope the new government is one that cares about our allies, cares about the climate," added Gates.

Bill Gates' comments rile up Internet

Netizens speculated about Bill Gates' support as they reacted to the news on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). While some considered it wise to heed his opinion, others felt the opposite way, as the following tweets demonstrate.

"Old bill going for the woke vote," wrote a user.

"He got a divorce so he might turn red?" commented another.

"Are we choosing leaders based on age or the substance of their policies? " inquired a third.

"Gates doesn't want to vote for anyone," noted a fourth.

"Whatever Bill Gates says you should probably stay away from!" exclaimed another.

"With more success in life and in business than Trump, Bill Gates is known as a visionary and great strategist that people should pay attention to," noted a sixth.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.