American billionaire, Bill Gates, has donated $50million to the Kamala Harris presidential campaign.
The donation breaks the jinx of decades of sitting on the sidelines of politics.
This donation is said to be a private one to a non-profit organisation that is supporting Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential run, according to three people briefed on the matter.
Until the donation came into public light, it was meant to stay under wraps.
Although Mr. Gates, who is one of the founders of Microsoft, has not publicly endorsed Ms. Harris, his donation would represent a significant change in the strategy that had previously kept him away from gifts like this.
It was reported that Gates, in private calls this year to friends and others, expressed concerns about what a second Donald Trump presidency would look like.
He however was quoted as saying he would not mind working with either candidate.
While Bill Gates does not have a deep relationship with Ms. Harris, he has celebrated the Biden-Harris administration’s work on climate change.
Mr. Gates’s philanthropic organisation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is significantly concerned about cuts to family planning and global health programmes if Mr. Trump is elected.
Gates has said he made his donation to Future Forward, the main outside fund-raising group supporting Ms. Harris, according to the people briefed on the matter.
Mr. Gates has talked about his pro-Harris donation with his peers, including Mike Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor and a major supporter of Future Forward who has considered a similarly sized gift, two of the people briefed said.
Mr. Gates’ donation went specifically to Future Forward’s nonprofit arm, Future Forward USA Action, which as a 501(c)(4) “dark money” organisation does not disclose its donors, according to the people briefed.
Speaking on his preferences in terms of support, Gates had said, “I support candidates who demonstrate a clear commitment to improving health care, reducing poverty and fighting climate change in the U.S. and around the world,” he told The New York Times.
“I have a long history of working with leaders across the political spectrum, but this election is different, with unprecedented significance for Americans and the most vulnerable people around the world,” he stated.
