“There is a danger that if you think 'America First' too much [more] than the long-term benefit of African stability and good will in Africa, in absolute or even relative to competitors like China, you tend to devalue that,” Gates told Bloomberg News.

While the U.S. is diverting their attention away from African countries, other nations such as China, are expanding their influence across the continent, Gates added.

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Gates said Trump should focus on assisting countries with health crises, rather than pulling away.

“That’s that area where I’ve chosen to take the wealth that was created through Microsoft,” Gates said from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “I understand that money can be very well spent. I’m in there saying let’s keep up the good work.”

Gates, the second-richest person in the world, has spent more than $12 billion in the region to combat malaria and tuberculosis through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He is gearing up to spend $83.6 million in Central America with the Carlos Slim Foundation and the Inter-American Development Bank, according to Bloomberg.

Gates has been critical of Trump’s policies in the past, saying he was “disappointed” after Trump neglected to fund vaccinations in his first budget proposal after the pair discussed it in September.

The release of Trump’s second budget proposal has been delayed following the government shutdown, the White House announced Wednesday .