President Donald Trump said he had spoken with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang earlier on Monday, after Nvidia revealed Sunday night that it had launched an investigation into his extramarital relationship with an alleged Chinese spy. Trump had called Huang, “to see if he’s feeling OK,” the president said at an impromptu news conference. Huang told him that he had “absolutely no idea that the person in question was a spy,” Trump said. “She said I had no idea she was a spy, and I really, really believe her,” Trump said. The president also said that the FBI was investigating the events in question. On Sunday, Nvidia’s board of directors announced that it was “initiating an independent investigation in light of recent reports that founder and CEO Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort.” At the same time, Huang announced that he had been “unfaithful to my wife,” while apologizing to Nvidia employees. “I was surprised because I see him as a very high-quality person,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “He’s an amazing guy,” she continued, adding, “I hope there’s no problem.” Trump indicated for the second time in as many days that he wanted Huang to remain the leader of the world’s second-largest public company. “I think he’ll be in good shape,” Trump said. On Sunday, people familiar with the matter told NBC News that U.S. intelligence agencies had determined that Alice Huang, the woman with whom Jensen Huang allegedly had the affair, was a Chinese spy. Jensen Huang and Alice Huang are not related. Nvidia spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday following Trump’s comments. Nvidia previously said Huang would remain CEO, despite the revelations. Nvidia shares closed down 4.2% in trading on Monday, offsetting overall market momentum. The stock was the worst performing company on the Dow and Nasdaq. The news about Nvidia and Huang also sparked intense scrutiny in Congress. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., on Monday called for “a full briefing” on the issues plaguing Nvidia. Jeffries is likely to be elected the next House speaker in January. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Jim Banks, R-Ind., also said in a joint statement that Congress should “take decisive action” regarding oversight of companies linked to AI. The Nvidia and Huang revelations “make these national security concerns even more urgent and raise important questions that NVIDIA must answer,” Warren and Banks wrote.
