Philanthropist and Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that President Trump seemed “super interested” in a universal flu vaccine, according to Stat News.
Gates said he pressed Trump on offering support for the idea during a recent meeting in the Oval Office.
“You should associate yourself with American innovation. Wouldn’t you love to have the universal flu vaccine be something that really got kicked off and energized by you?” Gates said he asked Trump, according to the news outlet.
The president, according to Gates, was “super interested” in the idea, leading him to quickly get Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb on the phone to ask him about such a vaccine.
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Gottlieb said he wasn’t too familiar with the vaccine, which would offer lasting protection for a range of flu viruses, and would need to look into it, according to Stat News.
According to Gates, Trump also asked him if he wanted to be science adviser. Gates told him it wouldn’t be a good use of his time.