Melinda French Gates Endorses Biden, Saying ‘I Can’t Keep Quiet’

(Bloomberg) -- Melinda French Gates has come out in support of President Joe Biden’s reelection, saying it’s the first time she’s ever publicly endorsed a candidate for that office.

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“This year’s election stands to be so enormously consequential for women and families that, this time, I can’t stay quiet,” the billionaire philanthropist said Thursday in a post on X. “I will be voting for President Biden.”

French Gates recently stepped down as co-chair of the foundation she helped run with her former husband, Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates. As part of the agreement, she received an additional $12.5 billion from Gates to use for her own charitable purposes, which have been largely focused on women and girls.

In her post Thursday, French Gates said “women deserve a leader who cares about the issues they face,” including reproductive rights and “their ability to freely and fully participate in a functioning democracy.”

French Gates, 59, has a net worth of $13.4 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

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