Trump's defense of Nvidia CEO deepens amid Chinese spy allegations

An extramarital affair scandal involving Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is drawing in US President Donald Trump, after reports emerged that Huang's alleged partner is suspected of ties to Chinese intelligence. The controversy has grown beyond a private matter into a national security concern, with questions now being raised about whether Trump knew of the allegations and still kept Huang at the center of his AI policy agenda.

According to the Wall Street Journal on Monday (local time), the affair allegations against Huang are not simply a matter of an extramarital relationship but are directly tied to US national security. The Journal noted that the woman at the center of the allegations is suspected of being a Chinese spy and said the case is "not just an extramarital relationship."

The Journal added that Huang "is probably President Trump's closest adviser on AI, and AI is central to the White House's economic and national security strategy."

The woman linked to Huang has been identified as Alice Huang, a former executive at Megaspeed International, a Singapore-based data center company.

US intelligence authorities have been investigating allegations that Alice Huang approached Jensen Huang to gather classified information on advanced AI semiconductors and the policy direction of the US administration.

According to the Journal, US officials concluded that Alice Huang was sharing information with Chinese intelligence while working with Nvidia on data center construction projects.

The central concern is that Jensen Huang has been deeply involved in shaping core US AI policy.

Nvidia leads the market for advanced AI chips and occupies a critical position in the US-China technology rivalry. Jensen Huang is widely regarded as having wielded considerable influence over the Trump administration's AI policy direction, and the Journal said he has had a voice in sensitive technology policy decisions — decisions that carry enormous weight in Washington's broader strategy toward China.

The key question is whether Huang's relationship with a woman suspected of links to Chinese intelligence actually led to the leaking of sensitive US technology secrets.

The controversy has expanded into a question of when Trump first became aware of the allegations.

The New York Times, which first reported on the close relationship between Jensen Huang and Alice Huang last month, alleged that Trump received a briefing on the Chinese spy suspicions roughly a year ago but took no action.

Trump has maintained a close relationship with Huang since the start of his second administration. Huang has been a frequent presence at White House events and has publicly backed Trump's push to promote the AI industry.

When voices in Silicon Valley called for slowing the pace of AI development, Trump is said to have contacted Huang directly — and Huang backed Trump's push to accelerate AI development.

In October, Trump awarded Huang the nation's highest honor in science and technology.

Yet according to the Journal, many officials in the Trump administration were already aware of the affair allegations involving Huang and Alice Huang at the time. The fact that Trump continued to publicly praise Huang and keep him as a key policy adviser has raised questions about whether national security concerns were given sufficient weight.

Trump has not withdrawn his trust in Huang. Speaking to reporters Monday (local time), Trump addressed the affair allegations, saying, "I know he's a great man. But nobody knows what's going on, right?"

He added, "I hope everything works out," and said he believed Huang "must be a great man because he's done an incredible job." Trump maintained a positive assessment of Huang despite the privacy controversy and national security allegations.

Particularly fueling the controversy is the fact that Trump brought Huang along on key diplomatic trips even after reportedly being made aware of the allegations.

The online outlet Axios highlighted that Huang accompanied Trump to the US-China summit held in Beijing in May. Huang had not been included in the initial White House list of business figures joining the China visit but later joined the delegation.

Reports also emerged that Huang was not on Air Force One when it departed for China and instead boarded the presidential aircraft in Alaska.

Whether Trump knowingly brought Huang — despite awareness of the Chinese intelligence allegations — to the US-China summit has emerged as a new point of contention.

Trump has also left open the possibility of bringing Huang on a planned trip to the Philippines and China in mid-November. Asked Monday (local time) whether Huang would join the trip, Trump said, "I'm not sure, but I would certainly take him."

He added, "I haven't heard that he did anything wrong."

In Congress, however, calls for accountability are growing. According to the Journal, senior Republican lawmakers have already sent letters to Huang demanding answers about the allegations.

Trump himself may face further demands to explain when he learned of the allegations, what briefings he received, and what steps, if any, he took afterward.

The Journal said the Jensen Huang scandal "has put President Trump to the test."

However, the allegations as they currently stand do not establish that Huang actually leaked classified information or that Alice Huang was operating under direction from Chinese intelligence.

The core issue is less the affair itself than the possibility that a business executive with deep access to US AI policy became a target of a foreign intelligence service — and how the White House responded.

With Trump continuing to stand by Huang, the controversy could deepen further depending on the outcome of congressional investigations and additional reporting.