Bill Gates' Reversal On Climate Change: Trump Declares Victory

U.S. President Donald Trump declared victory in the "War on the Climate Change Hoax" on October 30, 2025, following a statement by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates that climate change "will not lead to humanity’s demise" and that efforts should prioritize tackling global disease, poverty, and hunger over apocalyptic climate rhetoric.

Trump claimed Gates had finally admitted he was "completely WRONG" on the issue, calling it a "great victory for truth" and a moment of courage.

"I (WE!) just won the War on the Climate Change Hoax. Bill Gates has finally admitted that he was completely WRONG on the issue. It took courage to do so, and for that we are all grateful," Trump wrote.

Gates, in a lengthy memo published on October 28, 2025, stated that while climate change poses "serious" consequences, it will not result in the collapse of civilization, and people will be able to live and thrive in most places on Earth for the foreseeable future 

Gates emphasized that addressing global health and poverty would better prepare the world’s poorest populations for a warming planet, arguing that these efforts are more impactful on human welfare than focusing solely on climate change.

“Although climate change will have serious consequences – particularly for people in the poorest countries – it will not lead to humanity’s demise,” Gates wrote. “This is a chance to refocus on the metric that should count even more than emissions and temperature change: improving lives. Our chief goal should be to prevent suffering, particularly for those in the toughest conditions who live in the world’s poorest countries.”

The remarks come ahead of the COP30 global climate summit in Brazil, where Gates urged a shift toward innovation, adaptation, and human development rather than solely pursuing short-term emissions targets. He acknowledged criticism regarding his own carbon footprint and the perception that his stance could be a "sneaky way of arguing that we shouldn’t take climate change seriously," but maintained that progress in emissions reduction and future technological innovation offer hope.

Trump, a long-time skeptic of climate change who previously called it the "greatest con job ever" at the UN General Assembly in September 2025, has rolled back multiple costly and wasteful green policies since returning to the White House in January 2025.

The Trump administration eliminated USAID, an international aid organization that supplied foreign countries with $8 billion in annual support. Critics have accused the USAID of funneling money to left-wing activist groups who promote destructive far-left policies like costly climate change agenda, LGBTQ and abortions around the world.

Gates denied his new position represents a reversal from his past stances. He said the world must continue to support its past efforts to achieve zero carbon emissions.