Trump Backs Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang After Admitted an Affair

By Nathan Brooks

President Donald Trump said Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang should remain in charge on Sunday after Huang admitted an extramarital affair. The disclosure came in a Sunday memo to Nvidia employees.

"I think he's an honorable guy," Trump told reporters on Sunday. "I think he probably has an excuse for it. You have to hear it." He was answering a question about whether he wished he had acted on US intelligence about the affair earlier.

Trump said he had not spoken to Huang about the matter. He also said Huang had done an "amazing job" for the US. The endorsement leaves the chief executive in place while Nvidia's board investigates.

Huang's disclosure and Nvidia's inquiry

Huang said in the memo that he had been unfaithful to his wife. He also said his actions had hurt his family. The memo said Nvidia's board was launching an investigation into whether a foreign intelligence agency had targeted him.

The board's inquiry covers a possible foreign operation against Huang. The investigation will examine the available information, according to Nvidia's Sunday statement.

What the intelligence reporting says

Business Insider reported that US intelligence suspected the woman was a Chinese spy. Late last month, The New York Times reported that US intelligence agencies had concluded that Huang was the target of a Chinese spy plot.

The New York Times account described the following allegations:

• Alice Huang was a Chinese business executive and Nvidia chip buyer. She was not related to Jensen Huang.
• She developed a close relationship with Jensen Huang and passed information to Beijing.
• She had been recruited to seek information and potentially push for more advanced Nvidia chips to be made available in China.

Jensen Huang previously said he had a "normal" business relationship with Alice Huang. That description contrasts with the intelligence allegations reported by The New York Times.

Nvidia's response

Nvidia's board said on Sunday that it had no reason to believe national security or company secrets had been compromised. It also said Huang was cooperating with the investigation. Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

What does this change for Nvidia?

For employees, customers and investors, the immediate change is one of oversight rather than command. Huang remains CEO, and the board's inquiry is the immediate governance process. His personal disclosure and the intelligence allegations now sit inside that review without producing a leadership decision.

The board has issued a limited security assurance: it has no reason to believe national security or company secrets were compromised. The inquiry has not resolved the foreign-intelligence question. It will examine the available information, including the reported targeting of Huang.

Huang has become an increasingly influential voice in Washington's debate over chip-export restrictions on China. He has argued that strict limits on US chip sales could backfire by accelerating the growth of Chinese competitors. That makes his policy position relevant to any discussion of tighter export controls.

For Washington, the current situation creates a split between policy influence and personal scrutiny. Huang argues against tighter US chip limits while the board examines whether foreign intelligence targeted him and used his relationship with a chip buyer to advance Beijing's interests.

Customers and investors should watch for two outcomes: any change in Huang's leadership role and any revision of Nvidia's China policy after the board reports. Until then, Huang remains CEO and is cooperating with the inquiry.