New Delhi: The US president, Donald Trump, says former Nvidia chief, Jensen Huang, is “going through hell” over the impact of the controversy on his wife and family. Trump also questioned whether a businesswoman linked to Huang was a Chinese spy.
In an interview with Stephen A Smith, on Thursday, Trump said Huang called him the previous day. “I spoke to him yesterday.
He’s going through hell. What he feels most badly about is his wife and family,” Trump said. His account of their private conversation has not been independently verified.
Asked whether Huang should have resigned, Trump replied: “Well, the big thing is, was the woman a spy? And I don’t know if that’s been determined yet.” He added: “But if the woman was a spy, yes. If the woman was not a spy, perhaps it would be different.”
Trump was referring to Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore based Nvidia customer Megaspeed International. US intelligence officials reportedly suspected her of Chinese intelligence links, allegations Beijing has rejected. No public finding establishes that she was a spy. She is unrelated to Jensen Huang.
The cautious wording contrasted with Trump’s November 9 remarks, when he referred to Alice Huang as a spy while recounting a conversation with Jensen Huang. Trump said the executive denied knowing of any alleged intelligence connection and that he believed him. The change in language does not establish any revision to US intelligence findings.
The US attorney general, Todd Blanche, said Thursday that the justice department had reached no conclusion about Alice Huang’s alleged intelligence ties. He confirmed that the FBI was investigating the allegations.
Singapore separately disclosed that police found insufficient evidence in February 2026 to establish offences concerning suspected inaccurate declarations at Megaspeed. Police nevertheless assessed that Alice Huang knowingly provided inaccurate information about her role. She received a stern warning and was barred from re-entering Singapore. The authorities clarified that their investigation did not concern espionage.
Nvidia announced Huang’s departure on Thursday, as RNA Media reported earlier. However, a US regulatory filing states that the board accepted his resignation as president, CEO and director on Wednesday, effective immediately. The finance chief, Colette Kress, became interim CEO and Harvey C Jones chairman. Nvidia gave no official reason for his departure.
Huang acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife in a November 8 employee message. Nvidia’s board subsequently retained independent counsel to investigate reports of a foreign intelligence effort targeting him. The board said it had no reason to believe national security or company secrets had been compromised. No findings have been announced.
Trump expressed confidence that Huang would recover and suggested former Apple chief, Tim Cook, could run Nvidia, although no candidacy has been confirmed. The New York Times reported that Trump had earlier urged Huang to fight for his job.
The controversy has also prompted congressional scrutiny of sensitive technology exports to China, adding pressure to Nvidia’s continuing investigation and search for a permanent chief executive.