U.S. Philanthropist Melinda French Gates Endorses Biden

American philanthropist Melinda French Gates, the ex-wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, has endorsed President Joe Biden for November's US election, arguing that he is the best candidate for women, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

French Gates said the contrast between Biden and his Republican opponent Donald Trump "couldn't be greater, and the stakes couldn't be higher. I will be voting for President Biden." I Photo: Chatham House, London

"I've never endorsed a presidential candidate before. But this year's election stands to be so enormously consequential for women and families that, this time, I can't stay quiet," she said on X.

"Women deserve a leader who cares about the issues they face and is committed to protecting their safety, their health, their economic power, their reproductive rights, and their ability to freely and fully participate in a functioning democracy."

French Gates, who recently stepped down as president of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said the contrast between Biden and his Republican opponent Donald Trump "couldn't be greater, and the stakes couldn't be higher. I will be voting for President Biden."

Reproductive rights have been an effective political cudgel for Democrats in the two years since the conservative-leaning Supreme Court (SC) overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that made abortion a constitutionally protected right.

Former New York mayor and businessman Mike Bloomberg also endorsed Biden and donated $19 million to his campaign, according to the Washington Post.