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Barbarians at the Gates

The hottest commodity in the world of megadonors is Rory Gates, the spotlight-averse, socially awkward 24-year-old scion of Bill and Melinda—an overnight sensation among Democratic donor-hustlers desperate for the next big thing.

melinda gates bill gates
Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Robin Hood
Theodore Schleifer
April 3, 2024

It’s rare that the heir to one of the world’s most spectacular fortunes should also be a 24-year-old Capitol Hill staffer, laboring in the bowels of some dreary congressional office building. Alas, for Rory Gates, anonymity was never an option. From the moment he arrived in Washington to begin his doctorate, in 2022, the bookish son of Bill and Melinda Gates has been a rich target for Democratic social-climbers, influence-peddlers, and all variety of money chasers who view him not only as a next-generation megadonor and Washington player, but also as their next potential payday.