Nvidia scandal rocks White House as report reveals Trump was ‘warned’ about CEO’s affair months ago

Résumé détaillé

Trump has said he was unaware of the spy allegations at the time of his state visit to China

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The White House is facing mounting scrutiny over its handling of the Nvidia scandal, with new reporting indicating President Donald Trump was “warned” about CEO Jensen Huang’s relationship with a suspected Chinese spy months ago.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed Trump on the relationship aboard Air Force One in May, shortly before Huang joined the president’s trip to China, The New York Times reported. The account is at odds with Trump’s claim this week that he was unaware of Huang’s involvement with the woman at the time of the state visit.

The controversy centers on Huang’s romantic relationship with Alice Huang, a former executive at Megaspeed whom U.S. officials reportedly identified as a Chinese intelligence asset.

After initially describing their dealings as strictly professional, the Nvidia chief acknowledged the romance Sunday, writing in a statement he’d been “unfaithful” to his wife and that he was “deeply sorry.” He added that the company — which saw its stock price plunge Monday — is launching an independent investigation.

Separately, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confronted Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over why Megaspeed — an Nvidia customer — had not been subject to restrictions, according to Axios. Lutnick had also been sent a “classified memo” warning about the spy allegations.

The revelations have led to questions about Nvidia’s influence in Washington and the administration’s handling of the artificial intelligence race with China. The tech giant, valued at about $4.2 trillion, designs advanced chips used to power AI systems.

In recent days, Trump has publicly defended the CEO of Nvidia, who has regularly visited the White House. The president called him “honorable” and said he believes he did not know about the spy allegations.

The Independent has contacted the White House and Nvidia, headquartered in California, for…

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