In the aftermath of her parting ways with Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates received a substantial fortune, making her free to utilize it as she deemed fit. Once portraying herself as apolitical, she has now cast aside that veil. During her tenure at the helm of the world’s largest philanthropy alongside Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates maintained a restrained approach to political affairs. As part of one of the most recognized duos in America, she shied away from potential backlash, from international governments and Washington alike, by avoiding political endorsements. However, her life took a sudden turn in 2021, when her divorce from Bill Gates shocked the world and she became the sole custodian of her staggering wealth.
The shockwaves of her divorce still resound three years later, altering her once controlled existence. Melinda announced her departure from the foundation named after herself this year, a step that gave her unfettered freedom to pursue her ambitions. Seizing the opportunity of her newfound independence, she ventured into an area she had aimed to explore since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court: the political arena. Fast approaching her seventh decade, Ms. French Gates transitioned surprisingly into a Democratic party megadonor.
Endorsing political candidates, she generously donated more than $13 million to entities that favored Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. Coordinating with Harris’s team about potential join events and vocally advocating for abortion rights, an issue she had otherwise subdued due to its political implications. Melinda’s transformation, as insiders narrate, stems less from a lightbulb moment, more from the dynamic shifts in her personal life and global developments. The dissection of her relationship with Bill Gates and leaving the foundation gave her newfound freedom, while the annulling of Roe compelled her to take initiative.
Melinda, in a brief interview last month, remarked, ‘Now I do get to make whatever decision I want to make about endorsing or not endorsing on my own.’ She subtly brushed off the effects of her divorce on such decisions, while admitting previously there were more factors in play due to her leading a foundation. While Ms. French Gates considers herself a prime guardian of liberal values now, this was not always the case. Despite having a close relationship with Hillary Clinton, Ms. French Gates did not support her for presidency against Donald Trump, following her own policy of keeping their voting choices private.
But over recent years, Ms. French Gates has substantially increased her funding to liberal dark-money groups primarily advocating for Democrats, as per sources familiar with her contributions. With the current election cycle, she’s become even bolder, making large donations to Democratic super PACs, which are publicly disclosed. The Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning the constitutional right to abortion, marked a significant shift in Ms. French Gates’ political engagement.
Following this change, Melinda started expanding her political influence. Her son, Rory, a keen Democratic donor, has sought expert advice on political technology and joined a meeting of the Democracy Alliance. Melinda credits her son, since his high school years, for broadening her perspective and enhancing her understanding. Her youngest daughter, Phoebe, a recent Stanford graduate with a sizeable social media presence around abortion rights, has also made significant political contributions under the guidance of personal political advisors.
As awareness of Ms. French Gates’ political manoeuvres spread, her engagement intensified following Kamala Harris’s Democratic nomination. She gave almost the legal maximum $929,600, to the Harris campaign in July. Conversations have been taking place regarding a potential campaign event with Harris as well. Melinda’s firm has also contributed $1 million each to various non-profit organizations.
Her stance on abortion, too, has undergone a profound late-life transformation. Back in 2012, she notably minimized the topic of abortion in a high-profile TED talk about women’s issues, pushing for enhanced global access to contraception. She says, in her words, ‘we are not talking about abortion.’ This left some feminist leaders puzzled and at odds with her projected image as a defender of women’s rights and health.
Even today, she meticulously avoids using the term ‘abortion.’ She doesn’t show any remorse for not advocating more ardently for abortion rights given the future of Roe. ‘I believe that the decision we made at the foundation was absolutely the right decision, and the way I used my voice on that issue,’ she insists. Melinda believes a woman has the right to decide the timing and likelihood of having children, but the enormous global lack of contraceptives denies even this basic choice to many young girls.
Despite the overturning of Roe, Melinda hasn’t yet spent money on helping individual women access abortions but has instead financed initiatives like litigation to expand accessibility more generally. She’s been open about what she describes as an evolution.