Donald Trump was warned about Nvidia boss’s ‘spy’ lover – then flew him to meet Xi Jinping
US president was briefed on Jensen Huang's ties to a suspected Chinese operative before inviting him on Air Force One to meet Beijing's premier, US reports claim.
Donald Trump is facing awkward questions after leaping to the defence of a disgraced tech billionaire caught up in a Chinese spy scandal. Jensen Huang, who co-founded chip giant Nvidia, quit as the company's boss after admitting an extramarital affair.
That followed reports of his relationship with a woman US intelligence reportedly believes spied for Beijing. Now it has emerged that Mr Trump was warned about the relationship aboard Air Force One, before inviting the tycoon to join him on a trip to meet Chinese president Xi Jinping. Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed the president on the intelligence during the flight to China in May, according to The New York Times and CNN.
Mr Trump then invited Mr Huang to board the presidential jet during a refuelling stop in Alaska. The Times reported Mr Trump had first been briefed on the concerns last year.
Yet when asked whether he knew of the relationship before the summit, the president insisted: "No, I didn't hear about it then." The woman, Alice Huang, is a former executive of Megaspeed, a Singapore firm that buys advanced Nvidia chips.
Mr Trump has since spoken to the tycoon, who he says denied knowing she was a spy, and insisted: "I really believe him." He reportedly even urged Mr Huang to fight to keep his job after a member of Congress demanded answers.
The scandal has rocked Washington, which has spent years trying to keep America's most advanced chips out of Beijing's hands.
Nvidia saw around $200billion wiped off its value as the scandal broke. Its board has launched an independent investigation, and Mr Trump says the FBI is also investigating.
