Tech magnate Bill Gates is taking aim at Elon Musk, criticizing sweeping budget cuts to U.S. foreign aid programs that have been made under Musk’s influence in Washington. Gates warned that dismantling agencies like USAID — a move he says could result in the deaths of millions globally — is a reckless approach to so-called “efficiency.”
Speaking to CNN’s Fareed Zakaria in a Friday interview, Gates expressed alarm over the recent gutting of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has historically provided life-saving assistance around the world. The backlash comes after the Trump administration, now backed in part by Musk, slashed major funding to international aid efforts. Musk, in typical fashion, reportedly boasted that the agency had been fed into a metaphorical “woodchipper.”
Since the cuts, several nonprofits have been left scrambling, with contracts canceled and funding frozen. Although some support has since been restored under public pressure, many aid organizations remain deeply concerned about the human toll of these abrupt decisions.
Gates, a long-time advocate for global health, said that if Musk had focused his time in government on streamlining systems or leveraging AI to improve functionality, it might have been a worthwhile endeavor. But instead, Gates lamented, Musk’s focus turned toward gutting vital programs that save lives.
“No one expected him to go after people working to prevent disease and improve lives in the world’s poorest regions,” Gates said. “These aren’t wasteful initiatives — they’re essential.”
Gates warned that the world is now facing a “global health emergency” as both the U.S. and European countries scale back investment in life-saving health programs. His comments come just after announcing a bold philanthropic pledge: the Microsoft co-founder plans to donate $200 billion — nearly all of his personal wealth — to the Gates Foundation over the next two decades, before ultimately winding down the organization.
He said the move was driven by growing fears that the momentum on global health progress is stalling — or worse, reversing — due to reduced international cooperation and funding.
As part of the Zakaria interview, Gates also criticized Musk’s broader role in the Trump administration’s budget strategies. Musk has reportedly promised to trim $2 trillion from a $7 trillion budget within months — a move Gates described as “unrealistic” and “dangerous.”
“When you’re in a hurry to slash spending, it’s always the soft targets — overseas aid, people who don’t have a voice — that get hit first,” Gates said.
He specifically called out Musk’s false claim from earlier this year, when the Tesla CEO alleged that $50 billion in U.S. tax dollars had been spent on condoms for Gaza. Musk later admitted the statement was inaccurate. Gates also condemned Musk’s repeated attacks on USAID employees, whom Musk had referred to as “radical lunatics” and “anti-American.” Gates defended them, calling them “heroes” who represent the best of American values abroad.
“These workers are, next to our military, some of the most honorable people we have representing the U.S.,” Gates said. “Demonizing them is not only unfair — it’s dangerous.”
Since its founding in 2000, the Gates Foundation has invested over $100 billion in global health initiatives, working closely with governments and nonprofits to develop vaccines, improve medical diagnostics, and deliver treatments to underserved communities.
While acknowledging Musk’s brilliance in the fields of engineering and space exploration, Gates was firm in his belief that global health is not one of Musk’s strengths.
“If the cuts had been modest, aimed at improving efficiency, that would’ve been fine,” Gates said. “But slashing 80% of this funding? That’s a decision that will cost lives — millions of them.”
Earlier this week, Gates also spoke to the Financial Times, bluntly accusing Musk of endangering the world’s most vulnerable children through these drastic reductions in foreign aid.
There’s been no official response yet from Musk’s team regarding Gates’ comments. However, the two billionaires have a well-documented history of clashing — especially over philanthropy. In 2022, Gates met with Musk to encourage greater charitable giving, a conversation that reportedly ended badly. Musk later referred to Gates using an expletive, according to biographer Walter Isaacson.
In his conversation with Zakaria, Gates also criticized other policy decisions coming out of the Trump White House, particularly tariff measures that he believes could harm U.S. businesses and consumers alike.
“We’ve created too much uncertainty,” Gates warned. “Companies can’t plan their futures around unpredictable policies that might change with every election cycle.”
The full interview with Gates will air on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS this Sunday at 10 a.m. and again at 1 p.m. Eastern Time.
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