Trump faces questions about cozy ties to ousted Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Nov 12, 2026

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President Donald Trump on Thursday was facing major questions about his cozy financial and political ties to Jensen Huang after the disgraced Nvidia CEO resigned over reports of affairs with a fellow executive and an alleged Chinese spy.

Critics, including Democrats who will control the next Congress, are asking if Trump looked the other way from reports about Huang’s affairs in part because the tech mogul has bankrolled pet projects like the White House ballroom.

“Trump took him to Beijing, took his advice to give China access to our AI chips, & accepted a $25M donation from Nvidia,” tweeted Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, the presumptive incoming majority leader. “We need answers immediately on Trump’s failure to protect our national security.”

Even after Huang’s ouster, Trump hailed him for “doing a fantastic job.” He suggested retired Apple CEO Tim Cook as a potential successor, although it was not immediately clear if he was serious or joking.

Trump shrugged off initial reports about Jensen’s Huang’s affair with Alice Huang, who is not related to him, earlier this week, saying he had spoken to the billionaire and he would “be fine.”

Trump also approvingly repeated Jensen Huang’s denial that he knew Alice Huang was allegedly passing information to Chinese officials.

The president initially denied knowing anything about the bombshell affair or its potentially wide-ranging national security implications.

But Trump later admitted getting a briefing from Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the matter as he traveled to China with Jensen Huang and other moguls.

Critics say Trump’s approach to the Huang scandal typifies his tendency to put his personal political and financial benefits ahead of the national interest.

He has solicited hundreds of millions of dollars in donations from business leaders for his political operations and pet projects including the ballroom, which will cost more than $1 billion.

Many of the same leaders and their companies, including Nvidia, rely on government contracts and regulators who report to Trump to approve various projects worth billions or more, raising clear and vast conflict of interest concerns.

Trump has not said how much Nvidia stock he owns, although he claims he doesn’t place any weight on his personal financial holdings when making decisions.

Huang, 63, stepped down from his Nvidia post Thursday amid reports he carried on a second affair with a senior executive who reported directly to him, a serious breach of corporate governance rules.

He is expected to testify soon before Congress. So far, it’s not clear if he could face potential criminal investigation or civil suits over any of his actions.

Trump has forged a remarkably close relationship with Huang in his second term, mirroring his cozy ties with other Big Tech moguls, after the pair met at a Mar-a-Lago fundraising gala in 2025.

Under Huang, Nvidia donated $1 million to Trump’s 2025 inauguration fund and reportedly ponied up $25 million to Trump’s ballroom.

Huang, who is a U.S. citizen, is not known to have donated significant amounts to Trump’s political operation or Republican campaign committees, another way that wealthy insiders curry favor with the White House.

There is no known hard evidence of any specific quid pro quo between Huang’s largesse and any Trump decisions that benefited the company.

Still, the two men’s friendship came as Trump largely adopted many of Huang’s controversial policy views.

Huang became a key voice on U.S. AI policy while pushing for issues that were in Nvidia’s interest, such as preserving access to open-source AI, and lobbying to allow chip exports to China.

He also accompanied Trump on his state visit to China in May for a summit with Premier Xi Jinping, a coveted invitation that is virtually impossible to put a price tag on.

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