CHIPS ON THE TABLE

Trump Offers Bizarre Excuse After Favorite Tech Lord Admits to Affair

The president was cornered on a billionaire tech ally’s extramarital affair.

Donald Trump has responded with a bizarre word salad after being asked about billionaire Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s extramarital affair with a suspected Chinese spy.

On Sunday, Nvidia opened an investigation into Huang after he informed the company’s board about his intimate relationship with Alice Huang, a business executive whom U.S. intelligence determined was a top spy for Beijing, according to reporting from the New York Times.

Huang has been one of Trump’s closest allies in Silicon Valley.

Speaking to reporters during a gaggle in West Palm Beach, Trump was asked whether the revelation had changed his mind about taking Huang on his upcoming trip to Asia, where he and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to discuss the ongoing AI race.

Trump will land in Manila, Philippines, on Nov. 15 and end his trip in Shenzhen, China, on Nov. 19. Huang has not been confirmed to be among the president’s guests.

“I’d certainly take him,” Trump responded. “I haven’t heard he’s done anything wrong. He dealt with somebody, but you know, so does everybody else.”

When another reporter informed him of Nvidia’s investigation into Huang, Trump seemed to stand by his old tech buddy,

“He’s a fine person, in my opinion,” he said. “I think he’s an honorable guy, I think he probably has an excuse for it… He’s done an amazing job for our country.”

In an earlier statement to the Daily Beast, Huang said, “I was unfaithful to my wife… My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry. I support the investigation and will cooperate fully. I love our country and our company. I am committed to protecting NVIDIA and supporting America’s national security. I am proud and grateful to be an American.”

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Trump said Sunday night that he did not regret a lack of action on his part. According to the New York Times, officials told Trump in May that Alice-who had connections to major U.S. chip producers and the Chinese government-was conducting foreign surveillance on Huang.

Despite these warnings, Trump had Huang accompany him on his trip to China later that month.

American officials told the New York Times that they suspected Huang’s mistress was assisting China in their efforts to gain access to advanced AI chips, but that Trump chose not to act on the information at the time. A memo determined that she was purchasing chips and smuggling them into China.

Huang long advocated for selling AI chips to China, arguing in the past that Nvidia having a stake in Chinese chip sales would benefit the U.S. market.

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Christopher Buchanan

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