Bill Gates said Tuesday that President-elect Donald Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE’s potential to bring innovation to the U.S. resembles that of President John F. Kennedy’s.

Gates, the billionaire Microsoft founder and philanthropist, told CNBC that Trump can lead the U.S. “through innovation” and compared Trump’s ideas to Kennedy’s expansion of the U.S. space program in the early 1960s.

“But in the same way President Kennedy talked about the space mission and got the country behind that, I think whether it’s education or stopping epidemics … [or] in this energy space, there can be a very upbeat message that [Trump’s] administration [is] going to organizing things, get rid of regulatory barriers, and have American leadership through innovation,” Gates said.

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Gates, who recently spoke to Trump for the first time on the phone, said he expects to be in touch with the president-elect again in the future.

“Of course, my whole career has been along those lines,” Gates said of innovation. “And he was interested in listening to that. And I’m sure there will be further conversation.”

Gates has criticized Trump in the past, saying he “hasn’t been known for philanthropy.”

However, Gates said during the election campaign that he would hope to have a positive relationship with either Trump's or Democrat Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonDemocratic groups using Bloomberg money to launch M in Spanish language ads in Florida The Hill's Campaign Report: Presidential polls tighten weeks out from Election Day More than 50 Latino faith leaders endorse Biden MORE's administration, Politico reported.

Gates was recently honored with a Presidential Medal of Freedom.