Fact Check-Video of Bill Gates endorsing Ron DeSantis was digitally created
A clip that seemingly shows Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates endorsing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for the presidency was digitally created but has been shared online as if authentic. There is no evidence Gates made such an endorsement.
In the video, Gates can partly be heard saying the following: “We simply have to push forward with the great reset, or everything will be lost. The only way forward is an operation between the best minds across the globe, and together we’ll be able to guide humanity to a decent outcome. That’s why I support Ron DeSantis as our next president” (here), (here), (here).
While NBC’s “Today” logo can be seen on the top left corner of the video, a spokesperson told Reuters this is not a clip they aired.
A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation also said the audio in the clip is false.
The footage was taken from a May 2022 interview with Gates (timestamp 3:37) (here). His clothing and the background match in both videos.
Gates discussed his book “How to Prevent the Next Pandemic” and conspiracy theories about COVID-19 vaccines. He also talked about Elon Musk’s plans to buy Twitter, his divorce from Melinda French Gates and his meetings with Jeffrey Epstein.
He did not mention DeSantis or endorse anyone for the U.S. Presidency.
The video circulating online was seemingly created by Twitter users @C3PMeme and @Ramble_Rants, whose handles are included in the graphics at the bottom of the video. @Ramble_Rants frequently posts memes involving public figures, while @C3PMeme has shared synthetic media and altered clips on social media (www.instagram.com/c3pmeme/).
Reuters has previously debunked videos created by these users that duped some online (here), (here).
There is no evidence Gates has endorsed or expressed support for DeSantis as of this article’s publication (tinyurl.com/4rtaddcb).
VERDICT
Altered. The video of Bill Gates was digitally generated.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here .
This article has been archived for your research. The original version from Reuters UK can be found here.
