Donald Trump stated at the White House that he had spoken with Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and believed him regarding claims that he did not know the woman with whom he had an affair was an alleged Chinese spy. "I spoke to him today, just to see how he was," Trump told reporters, adding that he had directly asked Huang if he knew the woman was a spy.
"I asked him how he was, and then about everything. He said he absolutely had no idea that the person was a spy. I directly asked him if he knew she was a spy, and he answered that he had no idea, and I really believe him," Trump relayed. The president also noted that he had begun receiving information about the entire situation "not long ago" and that the FBI was investigating the case. He concluded: "I think he will be fine."
Trump claims he was not aware of suspicions last spring, when Huang was part of his delegation during a state visit to Beijing. According to the New York Times, Trump had been informed approximately a year earlier that US intelligence agencies were electronically monitoring Alice Huang due to suspicions that she was passing information to Beijing. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio oversaw the drafting of a strictly confidential memorandum this spring stating that China's Ministry of State Security had recruited Alice Huang to approach Nvidia's chief executive. The memorandum was delivered to senior officials before Trump's trip to China in May. Despite this knowledge, Trump continued to work with Huang, who ultimately accompanied him on the trip, and after the affair broke, stated he did not regret not acting earlier on the intelligence data.
Huang admitted on Sunday that he had been unfaithful to his wife and apologised to his family and employees. Nvidia said it would investigate media reports suggesting Huang had been the target of foreign intelligence activities. The company launched an independent investigation to determine whether its director had been the target of a foreign intelligence operation and stated that there is currently no reason to believe US national security or Nvidia's trade secrets have been compromised. Huang remains at the helm of the company and has announced full cooperation with the investigation.
Huang had already engaged a crisis PR firm last year regarding the affair with the alleged Chinese spy. According to two sources familiar with the case, he began working with the agency Heller no later than October 2025, approximately a year before publicly admitting to infidelity. Agency founder Risa Heller is known for advising public figures facing allegations of sexual misconduct and other personal scandals; among her previous clients were former US congressman Anthony Weiner, chef Mario Batali, and writer Jeffrey Toobin. The agency also handles standard corporate public relations, and sources claim its initial engagement concerned Huang's private life and family philanthropic activities. It is not known whether the agency was already working on issues related to his extramarital relationship at that time.
In early October 2025, the New York Times published an article on Huang's business ties with Singaporean firm Megaspeed and its then-director Alice Huang. Megaspeed came under US investigation due to suspicions that it was helping Chinese companies circumvent export restrictions on advanced American chips. That article, according to sources, caused tensions within Nvidia's leadership. By the end of October 2025, Nvidia's communications department received instructions to include the Heller agency in all press inquiries regarding Jensen Huang, regardless of whether they were related to his private life or business. China rejects the espionage accusations and calls them unfounded.
