Trump Says Billionaire Tech CEO Whose Affair May Have Put U.S. at Risk Is ‘Honorable Guy’ Who ‘Probably Has an Excuse’
Trump Says Billionaire Tech CEO Whose Affair May Have Put U.S. at Risk Is ‘Honorable Guy’ Who ‘Probably Has an Excuse’
Joseph KonigMon, November 9, 2026 at 9:02 PM UTC
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President Donald Trump. From left: Lori and Jensen Huang.Credit: Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty; LISA O'CONNOR / AFP via Getty -
President Donald Trump defended billionaire Jensen Huang after the CEO of the $4 trillion tech company Nvidia admitted to having an extramarital affair
Huang faces allegations that he was in a romantic relationship with a Chinese spy
“I think he’s an honorable guy. I think he probably has an excuse for it. You have to hear it,” Trump said
President Donald Trump defended billionaire Jensen Huang after the CEO of the $4 trillion tech company Nvidia admitted to having an extramarital affair as he faces allegations that he was in a romantic relationship with someone suspected to be a Chinese spy.
Huang, 63, admitted to cheating on his wife and college sweetheart Lori in a company-wide email on Sunday, Nov. 8, but did not specify who he had an affair with.
“I have not spoken to him about it. I just know he’s a fine person, but you never know what is going on,” Trump told reporters on the tarmac in Palm Beach, Fla., before boarding Air Force One for his return to the White House on Sunday. He added, “I hope everything’s fine there. He’s done such an incredible job.”
When asked if he should have acted on intelligence he reportedly received last year about the alleged spying, Trump said: “No, I don’t think so.”
He added that Huang should stay on as CEO of the company that produces chips key to supporting the rapid growth of the global artificial intelligence industry.
“I think he’s an honorable guy. I think he probably has an excuse for it. You have to hear it. No, you can’t do that with people,” Trump said. “He’s done an amazing job for our country. You know, we have the hottest country anywhere in the world. We have the highest stock market.”
President Donald Trump presents the National Medal of Science to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 8, 2026.Credit: Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty
The New York Times reported in October that U.S. officials believed Huang may have been targeted by a Chinese businesswoman named in what the Times described as a “spy plot.”
Huang and Trump have grown increasingly close since the president returned to power in January 2025 and as Nvidia has played an increasingly powerful role in the advancement of artificial intelligence.
In October, Trump awarded the Nvidia CEO the National Medal of Science and praised him as “an amazing man” whom he has “gotten to know … so well.”
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“He’s years and years ahead of other people and other companies,” Trump said on Oct. 8. “The entire world is now running on Nvidia.”
At a Halloween party at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Oct. 31, Trump responded to the Times report and said Huang was “a great, brilliant person and we wanna protect our brilliant people.”
On Monday, Nov. 9, Chinese officials denied involvement in the alleged scheme, with a foreign affairs spokesperson calling it “unsubstantiated” and a “smear,” according to the .
From left: Advanced Micro Devices CEO Lisa Su, her husband Daniel Lin, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, his wife Lori Huang, and Apple’s Chairman of the Board Tim Cook attend a White House state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted by President Donald Trump on Sept. 24, 2026.Credit: Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty
In his message to his employees on Sunday, which was released publicly by the company, Huang wrote he owed “my family and all of you an apology.”
“I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry,” Huang wrote. “Leading NVIDIA is the privilege of my life. My responsibility is to serve you and be worthy of your trust. I have fallen short of that responsibility. I am fully committed to NVIDIA and will work to earn back your confidence.”
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The message noted that Nvidia’s board of directors launched an independent investigation into “the national security concerns raised in news reports.”
“I support the investigation and will cooperate fully. I love our country and our company,” Huang wrote. “I am committed to protecting NVIDIA and supporting America’s national security. I am proud and grateful to be an American.”
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
