Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had no idea mistress was spy, Trump says

President Donald Trump said on Monday, 9 November 2026, that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had no idea the woman involved in his extramarital affair was an alleged Chinese spy, as the federal investigation into the tech executive gathered momentum.

The unfolding scandal has severely impacted Nvidia Corp., shaking the artificial intelligence sector and raising urgent questions regarding national security, corporate governance, and the security of advanced semiconductor exports. Jensen Huang acknowledged his infidelity in an open letter to employees over the weekend, admitting he had been unfaithful to his wife and apologizing for hurting his family.

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President Trump told reporters in the White House briefing room on Monday that he telephoned the embattled executive earlier in the day to check on his well-being. I asked him that question. Did you have any idea that she was a spy? Trump said, according to reporting by the New York Post. He said I had no idea that she was a spy, and I really believe him. Trump added that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is actively looking into the matter.

The White House tenant defended Huang as an honorable person who is suffering greatly, particularly over the impact on his family and his wife of 41 years, Lori Huang. Trump acknowledged he was briefed on the intelligence allegations previously, noting he was informed over a period of time but chose not to act, viewing the CEO favorably. When asked whether he wished he had acted sooner, Trump responded negatively, calling Huang an honorable man and expressing confidence that he would emerge from the investigations in good shape.

The geopolitical ramifications are profound. Nvidia sits at the absolute center of the global artificial intelligence boom, supplying chips that power major AI models developed by companies such as OpenAI and Meta. Because the U.S. Government views advanced semiconductors as vital to national security and maintains strict export controls to prevent Beijing from gaining an upper hand in military and surveillance capabilities, the affair has triggered immediate bipartisan pushback.

U.S. Intelligence agencies determined that Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, was acting as a spy for Beijing after surveillance reportedly revealed communications between her and an American citizen, who was subsequently unmasked as Jensen Huang. Alice Huang served as a top executive at Megaspeed International, a Singapore-based data center firm that faced claims of illicitly shipping advanced Nvidia computer chips into China. While Megaspeed told the New York Times that its current leadership took the allegations seriously and appointed external legal advisers, the Singapore government initiated its own investigation into whether the firm was circumventing U.S. Sanctions.

Nvidia’s board of directors announced an independent investigation to determine whether the company was the target of a foreign intelligence effort and whether any trade secrets or national security information were compromised. In its statement, the board emphasized that it currently has no reason to believe national security secrets were leaked, and noted that Jensen Huang remains committed to leading the corporation. Wall Street reacted swiftly to the crisis, wiping billions off the company's market capitalization as shares tumbled.

Meanwhile, Beijing strongly rejected the espionage allegations. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a daily press briefing that the claims of a Chinese spy campaign are entirely groundless, speculative, and intended to malign China. State-backed media outlets in China similarly suggested that the timing of the leaks aimed to destabilize U.S.-China relations just as diplomatic talks were underway.