Bill Gates Says Trump Aid Cuts Reversed Decades Of Global Health Progress As Child Deaths Rise

Bill Gates on Friday said sweeping foreign aid cuts under the Donald Trump administration reversed years of global health progress, contributing to a rise in child deaths for the first time in decades.

The Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) co-founder and philanthropist sharply criticized cuts to foreign aid enacted under Trump, warning they have had deadly consequences for the world's poorest children.

In his annual letter, Gates said global progress stalled in 2025 as funding from wealthy nations declined.

"The thing I am most upset about is the fact that the world went backwards last year," Gates wrote, pointing to a rise in deaths among children under five.

After falling steadily for 25 years, child deaths increased from 4.6 million in 2024 to 4.8 million in 2025, according to Gates.

Gates has previously warned that aggressive cost-cutting measures — many tied to Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency — could lead to preventable deaths.

Musk publicly challenged Gates to provide evidence, which Gates says is now visible in the data.

Report Warns Of Millions More Deaths

The Gates Foundation's latest Goalkeepers Report estimates that an additional 12 million children could die by 2045 if global health funding is cut 20% from 2024 levels.

The analysis is based on modeling using data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

Gates noted that even at their peak, foreign aid budgets accounted for less than 1% of GDP in most donor nations. "It is critical that we restore some of the funding," he wrote.

Gates Pins Hope On AI, With Caveats

Despite the setbacks, Gates said he remains cautiously optimistic, citing innovation driven by artificial intelligence. "I believe the world will keep improving — but it is harder to see that today than it has been in a long time," he wrote.

Still, Gates warned that the next five years will be especially challenging as governments and nonprofits try to scale lifesaving tools amid tighter budgets.

A $200 Billion Bet On Philanthropy

In 2025, Gates pledged to donate virtually all of his wealth — roughly $100 billion — to the Gates Foundation as part of a $200 billion plan to be spent over 20 years.

He also urged other billionaires to step up, arguing philanthropy must grow as government aid shrinks.

Currently, Gates has a net worth of $118 billion, ranking him 16th on the Bloomberg Billionaire Index. He resigned from Microsoft's board in March 2020.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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