Nvidia Opens an Investigation Into Its CEO, and Trump Weighs In
President Donald Trump said on Sunday, November 8, 2026, that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is a "fine person." The same day, the company's board announced an independent investigation into recent reporting involving Huang.
Speaking at a press briefing, Trump said he was amazed when he heard about the matter. He described Huang as a very high-quality person he has known for a long time. He called him a very honorable man who built a great American company.
Trump said he hoped there was no problem. If there was one, he said, the public would be informed. He added that he believed Huang was suffering greatly, particularly because of his wife and family. He said he had been hearing and reading about the Huang issues for some time, though not for long.
What the reporting says
The reporting centers on an alleged spy angle. Fox News reported that Nvidia is investigating Huang's affair with a woman suspected of spying for Beijing. Trump said the FBI is looking into Huang's affair with an alleged Chinese agent. He said he thinks Huang will be in good shape.
PBS NewsHour published a summary of what is known and what is not known about the case. China has denied that any spy plot targets Huang. It called the allegation a smear campaign against Beijing, according to the Associated Press.
Trump said he spoke with Huang on the day of the briefing. He asked him whether he knew the woman was a spy. Trump said Huang told him he had absolutely no idea she was a spy, and that he believes him. Trump also said he did not know about Huang's alleged ties to a spy when he went to China in May.
Asked about reports that Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued an intelligence memo on Huang last year, Trump said he would check with intelligence officials. He said the memo could have been mentioned to him, but it did not make much of an impact.
Trump also said he does not think he will raise the Huang case with President Xi Jinping when he visits him the following week.
The company's side
The Nvidia board of directors said it is starting an independent investigation in light of recent reporting involving Huang. The company has not yet said what the investigation will examine or when it will report.
In a separate message to the company, Huang wrote that he was unfaithful to his wife and that his actions hurt her and their children. "I owe my family and all of you an apology," he wrote.
Wired reported that Huang hired a public relations firm known for handling sex scandals last year. These firms help companies and their leaders manage how they appear to the public.
Nvidia's place in the market
Trump also turned to the company's market position. He said Nvidia is the largest or one of the largest companies in the world by value. He described its Blackwell chip as 10 years advanced and unable to be copied. Blackwell is one of Nvidia's main chips for artificial intelligence work.
In my view, the two tracks here are moving at different speeds. The board's investigation is a company process with its own scope and timetable. Meanwhile, the country's top executive is publicly describing the CEO, a federal agency is reportedly looking into the matter, and a foreign government is denying the allegation.
For investors and customers, the board's findings may matter most. Nvidia's chips sit at the center of the AI boom, the wave of data centers being built to run AI software. Those findings will likely shape how much weight people give this episode when they judge the company.
