Trump backs Nvidia chief after revelations about alleged affair with Chinese businesswoman

Donald Trump has come to the defense of Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s chief executive, following revelations about an alleged affair with a Chinese businesswoman suspected of passing information to Beijing. The US president praised Huang’s honesty and contribution to the United States but made clear that he had not spoken to him about the allegations.

The revelations have rocked the US technology giant, whose shares lost more than 6% of their value today. Meanwhile, Nvidia has launched an internal investigation to determine whether its chief executive had been targeted by foreign intelligence services.

In his public remarks, Trump described Huang as an honest man and said he had done a wonderful job for his country.

Speaking to reporters, the president explained that he had not discussed the matter with the Nvidia chief. He added that he knew him as a great person but noted that one could never know what was happening and expressed hope that everything was all right.

Asked whether Huang could offer a justification for what had been revealed, Trump said he believed Huang had an explanation and should be heard.

Reporters also asked the US president whether Huang would join his tour of Asia, scheduled for next week. Trump replied that he did not know but would certainly take him along.

The New York Times reports that Trump was informed of US intelligence findings about a year ago but decided to take no action.

Asked whether he should have acted on the information presented to him, the president said no.