Bill Gates ‘warns’ Donald Trump: US will share blame for rising child deaths as…

Bill Gates warns President Trump that slashing US global health funding could cause the first rise in childhood deaths this century. New projections indicate millions more children may die if cuts persist. While the Gates Foundation is increasing its own spending, it cannot replace government support, leaving vulnerable nations struggling to achieve self-sufficiency.

Bill Gates has delivered a stark warning to President Donald Trump: deep cuts to US global health funding could make America culpable for the first increase in childhood deaths this century.Gates revealed he told Trump that modest cuts of 10-20% might be justified for efficiency, but anything beyond that level would give the US “some culpability in the increase in deaths.” The president responded favorably, Gates said, “but we don’t have a plan to get the spending all back in place.”

The warning comes as new modeling projects 4.8 million children will die before their fifth birthday in 2025—an increase of more than 200,000 from last year. If funding cuts persist at 20%, an additional 12 million children could die by 2045, according to the Gates Foundation’s annual Goalkeepers report.

Global health aid plummets 27% amid international retreat

Global aid funding has dropped almost 27% this year, devastating programs that depended on sustained support. While Trump’s dismantling of USAID has drawn attention, the UK, France, and Germany have also slashed spending dramatically.The impact is already visible on the ground. In Nigeria alone, donor-funded programs that once employed over 8,000 tuberculosis workers have ended, which Gates said will lead to tens of thousands of additional deaths from a single disease in one country.The Microsoft co-founder emphasized that routine vaccination remains the most cost-effective intervention, with every dollar spent returning $54 in benefits. However, vaccine skepticism promoted by US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. threatens to undermine progress globally.

Foundation doubles spending as government support evaporates

Gates stressed that while the Gates Foundation plans to double its spending over the next two decades, private philanthropy cannot compensate for the US government pullback. For poor African countries, achieving self-sufficiency is a 20-year goal, not a four-year one, he noted.Despite expressing guarded optimism about some aspects of the State Department’s new global health strategy, Gates acknowledged the uncertain path forward: “I do think that Congress cares and President Trump cares, but we still don’t have a full resolution of what the funding flows will look like.”