In what appeared to be a private message to Elon Musk, President-elect Donald Trump said in a social media post Friday that Microsoft founder Bill Gates had asked to meet with him.
“Where are you?” When are you coming to the ‘Center of the Universe,’ Mar-a-Lago? Bill Gates has asked to come tonight. We miss you and X! New Year’s Eve is going to be incredible!! “DJT,” Trump wrote in his Truth Social post.
Gates has contacted the Trump transition team about a possible meeting with Trump, according to a person familiar with the discussions, but it is unclear whether the two will meet.
Since winning the election in November, Trump has hosted several meetings with tech CEOs and business leaders at his home. CNN has contacted Gates for comment.
The message appears to reference Musk’s son, X Æ A-Xii, whom Musk colloquially refers to as X. The post comes as Musk, whom Trump named co-leader of his government efficiency initiative, faces renewed criticism from Trump supporters for his support of the visa program that allows highly skilled foreign workers to immigrate to the United States.
Trump and Gates first met in December 2016, when Trump was about to take office for the first time.
Since Trump’s election victory last month, a number of tech CEOs have spoken with him or visited him at Mar-a-Lago in an effort to curry favor with the president-elect. Several Fortune 500 companies and other corporate interests have also pledged millions of dollars for his inauguration.
According to people familiar with the meetings, the CEOs who met with Trump came prepared with a clear strategy. This includes discussing issues they know Trump will support, such as bringing manufacturing and jobs back to the United States, as well as sneaking in potential policy concerns they have about his new administration.
Many of these CEOs are looking forward to the meetings because they will help them “start on the right page,” according to a source familiar with the situation.
