In a head-scratching Truth Social post that Donald Trump may have intended as a private message to Elon Musk, the president-elect says Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has asked to meet with him.
“Where are you? When are you coming to the ‘Center of the Universe,’ Mar-a-Lago,” Trump posted on his social media platform Friday morning. “Bill Gates asked to come, tonight. We miss you and x! New Year’s Eve is going to be AMAZING!!! DJT”
The message contains an apparent reference to the Tesla CEO’s son X Æ A-Xii, whom Musk usually refers to as X. Spokespeople for Trump and his transition team did not immediately respond when asked if the message was intended as a private correspondence with Musk, who’s become a fixture at Trump’s side.
Spokespeople for Gates Ventures, the tech billionaire’s private office, also did not immediately respond when asked to confirm whether he’d requested a meeting with Trump. However, a person familiar with the talks confirmed to CNN that Gates has reached out to the Trump transition team about a possible meeting.
Gates donated about $50 million to a PAC supporting Vice President Kamala Harris in last month’s election, but he congratulated Trump when he won.
“I hope we can work together now to build a brighter future for everyone,” Gates wrote in his congratulatory note on social media.
Gates would be the latest tech mogul to make nice with Trump. Apple’s Tim Cook and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg have both met with him, and others have collectively donated millions to Trump’s inauguration fund.
“The first term, everybody was fighting me,” Trump said in remarks this month at Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Florida. “In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.”