Billionaire and philanthropist Melinda French Gates has publicly endorsed US President Joe Biden for the 2024 presidential election. This is the first time she has endorsed a presidential candidate.

French Gates, ex-wife of Bill Gates and Co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationShe said the importance of this election cannot be overstated, as “the stakes for women and families have never been higher.”

In an article for CNN she wrote, “I’ve never supported a presidential candidate before. But this year’s election is so important for women and families that I cannot remain silent this time.”

French Gates, a global advocate for women and girls, highlights the importance of having a leader who cares about women’s issues, saying, “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 participate freely and fully in a functioning democracy.”

She criticized former President Donald Trump’s tenure, saying it “endangered women’s health, compromised their safety and stripped them of essential freedoms.”

French Gates also condemned Trump’s “often divisive, sometimes violent rhetoric,” which she believes threatens women. She pointed to his restrictions on foreign aid to organizations that provide reproductive services and the federal family planning program.

French Gates also addressed overturning the Roe v. Wade casewhich eliminated women’s right to abortion and led to pregnant women being denied care in emergency rooms and obstetricians, leading to tighter restrictions in states. He argued that if Trump were re-elected, he would allow states to monitor and prosecute pregnant women who perform abortions.

On the contrary, they have called for reproductive freedom, restoration of funding, and Support for medication such as the abortion pill mifepristone.

French Gates underscored Biden’s commitment to caregivers, saying, “Simply put, he is the strongest advocate for caregivers anyone has ever had in the Oval Office.”

She appealed to those who care about women and families to join her in supporting Biden, saying, “While Trump claims to want to roll back women’s rights, Biden understands that our country’s future depends on them. That’s why Biden has earned my vote. I urge everyone who cares about women and families to join me.”

Fellow billionaire Elon Musk was not happy with Melinda French Gates’ formal endorsement of Biden. “This could be the downfall of Western civilization,” the Tesla CEO said while speaking to X.