Nov. 9 (UPI) — President Donald Trump said Monday that Nvidia’s embattled CEO Jensen Huang “had absolutely no idea” that a woman with whom he allegedly had an affair was a suspected Chinese spy.
Speaking to reporters in a surprise White House press briefing on Monday alongside Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White, Trump said he spoke with Huang earlier in the day to “see if he’s feeling alright.”
“I asked him that question: ‘Did you have any idea that she was a spy?’ He said, ‘I had no idea that she was a spy,’ and I really believe him,” Trump said.
The press conference was held after Nvidia, a world leader in semiconductor design, announced Sunday night that it had opened an investigation into reports that Huang, the U.S. company’s co-founder and CEO, was the target of a foreign intelligence operation.
The New York Times and the Financial Times have reported that Huang had an intimate relationship with Alice Huang, a top executive with Singapore-based Megaspeed. According to The Times, a U.S. intelligence memo circulated among Trump administration policymakers last spring alleged that Alice Huang had been recruited by China’s Ministry of State Security to spy on the Nvidia chief.
Huang, who is married, has admitted to having an affair but did not name the other woman. Nvidia has said it has no reason to believe that either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised.
Nvidia designs some of the world’s most advanced artificial intelligence chips that are subject to U.S. export restrictions to China over concerns they could be used to advance Beijing’s military, surveillance and artificial intelligence sectors.
China has rejected the accusations.
“The ‘Chinese spy’ allegation is purely unsubstantiated and directed at smearing China,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters during a regularly scheduled press conference on Monday.
Asked when he was informed of concerns about Huang and the alleged affair, Trump said “not too long ago.”
Responding to a question about whether he had read the intelligence memo that had circulated in the spring, Trump said: “Well, I’d certainly check with the intelligence people. It could have been mentioned. Certainly, it didn’t make much of an impact on me.”
Trump, who is a close associate with Huang, also said the FBI was “looking into it in terms of something else,” but did not elaborate.
Nvidia said that Huang will continue to lead the company amid the investigation.
“I know Jensen very well,” Trump said. “I just think he’s a very honorable man. I mean, he’s built a great company, American company, and I think he’s a very honorable guy, and I feel very confident that he’ll be in good shape.”