What Trump Said
"I asked him that question, 'Did you have any idea she was a spy?' He said 'I had no idea she was a spy' and I really believe him," Trump told reporters. Speaking at the White House, he said he called Huang "just to see if he's feeling alright" and that Huang "absolutely had no idea that the person in question was a spy." Trump called him an "honourable guy," said he feels "very confident that he will be in good shape" after the investigations, and added, "I believe he is suffering greatly."
Asked several times when he learned of the relationship, Trump said he was informed "over a period of time" but gave no specifics. He didn't say when the FBI probe began, and the FBI declined to comment. He also said he was "sure" Chinese leader Xi Jinping would "ask me about it" when they next meet.
Beijing rejected the claims, with its foreign ministry calling the allegations "entirely groundless, speculative and intended to smear and malign China."
Who Is Alice Huang?
US intelligence officials believe Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, was a spy for Beijing. She is not related to Jensen Huang. She was managing director of Singaporean company Megaspeed, which has had dealings with Nvidia. A newspaper report said Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a memo to top officials last spring warning that the Nvidia boss was in a close relationship with a Chinese spy. Megaspeed's Singapore office appeared to be operating on Tuesday, but a staff member declined to comment and referred queries to the PR team.
Huang has admitted he was "unfaithful" to his wife and apologised for hurting her and their children. He said he is "committed to protecting Nvidia and supporting America's national security" and will cooperate with the independent investigation the company commissioned. Nvidia says it has no reason to believe its secrets or national security were compromised.
Fallout for Nvidia
Nvidia is the world's second most valuable company after Apple, and its chips are central to AI. The revelations knocked about $250bn (£190bn) off its value on Monday, with shares falling more than 4%. Also on Monday, Huang and Nvidia were hit with a proposed class action in California, accusing them of defrauding shareholders by hiding his ties to the suspected spy. The suit alleges the company lied to the media about the relationship with a woman "suspected of seeking to help smuggle Nvidia products to China."
Huang has also been asked to appear next week at a closed-door briefing for several Congressional committees on Nvidia's security protocols against foreign espionage and his interactions with the alleged intelligence asset, though it is unclear whether he will attend. Some workers at the Santa Clara headquarters said it was business as usual.
Why It Matters
Nvidia is a major focus of the AI race between the US and China, and Washington treats its exports to Beijing as a national security matter. Trump has warned that letting China lead in AI would supercharge its military and surveillance capabilities. Huang co-founded the company in 1993 with two other engineers, and it grew from gaming chips into an AI powerhouse. Huang has long opposed restricting sales to China. In January, the administration said it would allow sales of the H200 chip to Chinese customers under certain conditions, while the most advanced chips, including the GB200 Blackwell, remain blocked.
