Trump backs Nvidia’s CEO after report claiming Jensen Huang was target of Chinese espionage plot: ‘We want to protect our brilliant people’
Huang has served as an advisor to Trump on artificial intelligence and was part of the group of technology executives who accompanied the president on his visit to Beijing in May to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang,
President Donald Trump expressed his support on Saturday for the CEO of Nvidia, Jensen Huang, after a report indicated that the businessman had been the target of an alleged espionage plot linked to China. Trump said the United States is reviewing the matter "very closely" and defended the executive's integrity.
"I have a lot of respect for Jensen. I didn't know about the specific thing, but I hope he's going to be OK. He's a great, brilliant person, and we want to protect our brilliant people," Trump told reporters at his Florida residence. The president added that the case will be investigated thoroughly and that, unless evidence to the contrary emerges, he has always considered Huang to be a very transparent person.
The report that sparked the alert
According to a report published by The New York Times on Thursday, U.S. intelligence officials reportedly concluded that a Chinese executive linked to a Singapore-based data center company, who had been in contact with Huang, had been leaking information to Beijing. China flatly rejected the report, calling it "groundless speculation."
Huang has served as an advisor to Trump on artificial intelligence and was part of the group of tech executives who accompanied the president on his visit to Beijing in May to meet with Chinese President, Xi Jinping. The Taiwan-born businessman has advocated for the use of Nvidia chips in China, a market where Beijing has accelerated the development of its own semiconductors.
A matter of national security
The alleged espionage plot comes amid in a context of growing technological tension between Washington and Beijing, where semiconductors have become a key strategic resource. Trump emphasized that this is a "very complex" issue and that his administration will take the necessary measures to protect American business leaders.
When asked if he would keep Huang as an advisor, Trump replied: "I would like to say yes. I mean, unless we find out something to the contrary, I've always found Jensen Huang to be very above board." The case opens a new front in the technological rivalry between the two powers, at a time when the chip industry has become the epicenter of global geopolitical competition.
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