Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates held his sixth Ask Me Anything on Reddit.
Nearly 11,000 people replied to his forum on Tuesday, asking questions on subject ranging from his philanthropy to if he makes peanut butter sandwiches. (The answer to that is he prefers tomato soup.)
With celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and The Rock trending amid social media pleas for them to make a presidential run, it only makes sense that someone would ask the same of Gates.
A Redditor asked, “You've probably heard this a thousand times, but would you consider running for President in 2020?”
This was his response:
“I won't be running for President because I am super committed to the work Melinda and I are doing at the [Gates] Foundation and outside the Foundation. I agree it is important to have a President who thinks long term about the US role in the world and the research to solve disease burdens and costs and to tackle climate change and improve education.
"I do think people are expecting too much from Government. Yes Government can do better but local groups can do a lot that government can't - helping out in schools, reaching out to people in poverty. This is also true internationally. I would like to see this civil society sector step up a lot more. Some issues like abortion or even immigration we may never get a consensus on but there are things like better health and better education that we can achieve.”
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In the thick of campaign 2016, with both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton vying for the presidency, Gates was asked something similar, according to Business Insider.
This was his response:
"I like my current job at the [Bill & Melinda Gates] Foundation better than I would being president. Also I wouldn't be good at doing what you need to do to get elected. I thought Michael Bloomberg was thoughtful about why it didn't make sense for him to try and run even though he is a great executive."
In Bill and Melinda Gates' annual letter released this month, they answered frequent – but hard – questions they receive. One was about how Trump's policies affected their foundation's work.
This was their response:
Bill: "In the past year, I've been asked about President Trump and his policies more often than all the other topics in this letter combined.
"The administration’s policies affect our foundation’s work in a number of areas. The most concrete example is foreign aid. For decades the United States has been a leader in the fight against disease and poverty abroad. These efforts save lives. They also create U.S. jobs. And they make Americans more secure by making poor countries more stable and stopping disease outbreaks before they become pandemics. The world is not a safer place when more people are sick or hungry.
"President Trump proposed severe cuts to foreign aid. To its credit, Congress has moved to put the money back in the budget. It’s better for the United States when it leads, through both hard power and soft power.
"More broadly, the America First worldview concerns me. It’s not that the United States shouldn’t look out for its people. The question is how best to do that. My view is that engaging with the world has proven over time to benefit everyone, including Americans, more than withdrawing does. Even if we measured everything the government did only by how much it helped American citizens, global engagement would still be a smart investment.
"We have met with President Trump and his team, just as we have met with people in previous administrations. With every administration—Republican and Democrat—we agree on some things and disagree on others. Although we disagree with this administration more than the others we’ve met with, we believe it's still important to work together whenever possible. We keep talking to them because if the U.S. cuts back on its investments abroad, people in other countries will die, and Americans will be worse off."
Melinda: "We need to work with the administration to garner as much support as we can for policies that will benefit the most impoverished people in the world. In our U.S. work, one premise we start with is that a college degree or career certificate is critical to a successful future. In short, a college education should be a pathway to prosperity for all Americans. The Trump administration's leadership, along with Congress's, will have a lot to do with whether it is.
"Specifically, student aid programs need to work better for low-income students. Right now, 2 million students who are eligible for aid don’t even apply for it, because the process is so burdensome. Some go into debt. Even worse, many don’t go to college at all. The government must continue to be generous in funding aid programs while following through on simplifying the application process. The futures of millions of young Americans are on the line.
"I would also say that I believe one of the duties of the president of the United States is to role model American values in the world. I wish our president would treat people, and especially women, with more respect when he speaks and tweets. Equality is an important national principle. The sanctity of each individual, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender, is part of our country’s spirit. The president has a responsibility to set a good example and empower all Americans through his statements and his policies."
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