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Trump backed Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang despite China spy scandal, reports say
Donald Trump urged Nvidia chief Jensen Huang to fight efforts to remove him over a Chinese spy scandal, according to reports, brushing aside national security concerns because he feared Huang’s ouster would hit the stock market and U.S. AI dominance.
Donald Trump pushed Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to hold on to his job even as a Chinese spy scandal swirled around the company, according to reports dated 13 November.
The accounts say Trump dismissed national security concerns and backed Huang because he worried that forcing the chief executive out would damage the stock market and U.S. dominance in artificial intelligence. Huang had reportedly gained significant influence over Trump, using that access to secure approval for some Nvidia chip sales to China despite resistance from national security officials.
Those officials had opposed the sales, arguing against exporting some of Nvidia’s advanced chips to China. In their view, the technology risked strengthening a strategic rival. Trump, by contrast, is described as prioritizing Nvidia’s role in markets and AI over those security warnings.
The reports frame the controversy around a Chinese spy scandal linked to Nvidia and say that calls for Huang’s removal emerged from those security fears. They indicate that, inside the U.S. government, there was a clear split between national security hawks who wanted tougher limits on Nvidia’s China business and Trump, who favored keeping Huang in place.
That clash highlights how a single executive at a dominant chipmaker can become a focal point for broader debates over export controls, stock prices and technological leadership. The next signals to watch are whether any formal investigations or regulatory steps related to the alleged spying surface, and how any future Trump positions on Nvidia’s China sales line up with the behind‑the‑scenes support for Huang described in these reports.