President Trump called outgoing Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and told him to fight for his job ahead of his resignation, The New York Times reported on Thursday, citing two people briefed on the conversation.
Huang resigned as CEO of one of the world’s most valuable companies after reports emerged of multiple extramarital affairs, including one with a woman suspected of being a spy for the Chinese government.
The news shocked many in politics and tech, with Huang being a close ally of Trump’s amid the AI boom.
Trump said in an interview with sports commentator Stephen A. Smith on Thursday that he had called Huang on Wednesday, calling the situation “sad.”
“I spoke to him yesterday. He’s going through hell,” Trump said. “What he feels most badly about is his wife and family … that’s what he told me.”
When asked if he thought Huang should have stepped down, Trump said it depends on if the woman he had an affair with was indeed a spy for China.
“The big thing is, was the woman a spy? And I don’t know if that’s been determined yet,” Trump told Smith. “If the woman was a spy, yes.”
The markets soured following Huang’s departure and scandals, with Nvidia dipping more than 13 percent over the past five days.
Huang and Trump have maintained a close relationship as the AI boom has dramatically increased the need for Nvidia’s high-powered chips. At the end of last year, Trump reversed course and allowed Nvidia to sell its H200 chips to China, a big win for the company.
Now, Huang’s relationship with a possible Chinese spy is raising national security concerns.
Members of both parties have called for Congress to look into Huang’s relationship and to pass restrictions on Chinese access to advanced chips. Democrats are already calling for investigations into what Trump knew about the matter.
The Times previously reported Trump was told multiple times that Huang was close to the suspected spy, but he apparently did not take action and still allowed the chips to be sold to China.
