Trump Urged Jensen Huang To ‘Keep Fighting’ for His Nvidia CEO Job Two Days Before Resignation: Report -
TITLE: Trump Urged Jensen Huang To Keep Fighting For His Nvidia CEO Job Before Resignation
President Donald Trump held a private telephone conversation with Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang on Tuesday, encouraging the tech leader to maintain his position at the helm of the semiconductor giant. This interaction occurred just forty-eight hours before the company publicly confirmed Huang’s departure. The resignation follows a period of intense pressure regarding the executive's personal associations and their potential implications for national security.
Trump Supports Huang during Phone Call
According to a report published by The New York Times on Thursday, which cited two individuals familiar with the discussion, the president advocated for Huang to remain in his role despite the growing controversy. The newspaper noted that the White House and the president’s representatives did not provide comments when asked about the specific details of the call. This private show of support came as Nvidia, a critical player in the global technology sector, faced internal and external turmoil.
The scrutiny surrounding Huang centers on his relationship with Alice Huang, a businesswoman from China. United States intelligence agencies have raised suspicions that Alice Huang may have connections to the Chinese government’s intelligence operations. The New York Times stated that officials provided President Trump with two separate briefings regarding the nature of the relationship between the Nvidia founder and the suspected operative.
Concerns over Chinese Intelligence Ties
Despite these intelligence reports, advisers indicated that the president viewed Nvidia as a cornerstone of the American economy. Trump reportedly expressed anxiety that the forced removal of the company’s founder could trigger significant instability within the financial markets. This economic perspective appeared to outweigh the immediate security concerns presented by intelligence officials during their briefings at the White House.
In public statements made prior to the resignation, the president had already signaled his trust in the tech executive. After Jensen Huang denied any knowledge of Alice Huang’s alleged role as a spy, Trump told reporters that he really believed him. This defense highlighted a divide between the executive branch’s economic priorities and the more cautious approach favored by some members of the legislative branch.
Potential for Extortion and Sensitive Chips
Not all Republican leaders shared the president’s lenient stance. Senator Kevin Cramer, a Republican representing North Dakota, became a vocal critic of Huang’s continued leadership. Cramer explicitly called for the CEO to step down, pointing to what he described as a potential for extortion. The senator argued that the sensitivity of Nvidia’s semiconductor technology made any connection to foreign intelligence assets an unacceptable risk to the United States.
The saga concluded on Thursday when the chipmaker officially announced that Huang would be leaving his post. While the president had urged him to keep fighting for his job only two days earlier, the mounting pressure from intelligence briefings and congressional critics ultimately led to the end of his tenure. The transition leaves the market to process the departure of a figure Trump once deemed too vital to lose.
Source: benzinga.com · 2026-11-13