Bill and Melinda Gates Tackle ‘Tough Questions’ and Trump<br />“So it’s discouraging to hear that kind of talk.”<br />Mr. and Ms. Gates are badgered about Mr. Trump so often<br />that they made the topic part of the annual letter they published early Tuesday, a digest the couple releases about the philanthropic activities of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.<br />While the mood in many parts of the world seems to have darkened, Mr. and Ms. Gates say in their letter<br />that they remain militantly optimistic about global progress.<br />In philanthropic circles, the annual Gates letter is read as avidly for tidbits about giving trends as Mr. Buffett’s letter is by investors.<br />And in their annual letter, Ms. Gates, 53, is blunt in her view of the way Mr. Trump communicates.<br />“Those disparaging comments don’t belong in any public discourse,” Ms. Gates said in a recent joint<br />interview with her husband, the co-founder of Microsoft and one of the richest people in the world.<br />“I think it’s a long time coming that the sexual harassment stuff worldwide comes out.”<br />Ms. Gates has made family planning a focus of her work with the foundation.<br />“The whole tech world should look at these criticisms, look at these effects, you know, try to make sure<br />that without giving up what’s good about that, that we can reduce some of it,” he said.
