Trump calls Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang 'honorable guy' amid alleged Chinese spy affair

'I think he's an honorable guy. I think he probably has an excuse for it. You have to hear it. He's done an amazing job for our country,' says US president

US President Donald Trump defended Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang amid reports of an affair with an alleged Chinese intelligence operative, describing him as an “honorable guy.” Asked about the reported relationship and an ensuing investigation by the US semiconductor company's board of directors, Trump said Sunday : “I think he's an honorable guy. I think he probably has an excuse for it. You have to hear it. He's done an amazing job for our country.” The New York Times reported Sunday that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio oversaw the preparation of a classified intelligence memo warning senior Trump administration officials about Huang's close relationship with an alleged Chinese intelligence operative. Drafted under Rubio's supervision in the spring, the memo circulated among senior national security officials ahead of Trump's state visit to China in May. The intelligence reportedly stemmed from electronic surveillance of Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang, who is unrelated to the Nvidia chief. She was a senior executive at Megaspeed International, a Singapore-based data center company that purchased advanced artificial intelligence processors while under federal investigation for allegedly smuggling semiconductors into mainland China. Intelligence officials sought to identify an American citizen whose intercepted communications indicated an intimate relationship with Alice Huang. The subsequent review identified the individual as Jensen Huang, according to the report. US counterintelligence agencies concluded that China's Ministry of State Security had recruited Alice Huang as an operative. Jensen Huang was initially excluded from the official business delegation accompanying Trump to China. However, after media reports drew attention to his absence, Trump reportedly intervened, arranging for the Nvidia chief to join Air Force One during a refueling stop in Alaska and praising him as "the Great Jensen Huang." Trump declined to impose restrictions on Huang or Nvidia, reportedly viewing the chipmaker's market dominance as critical to US economic competitiveness and financial markets.