From "Who is he?" to support after the scandal was exposed: A timeline of Trump's interactions with Jen-Hsun Huang

(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) According to the New York Times, Trump called Jen-Hsun Huang on Tuesday (November 10) and urged him to continue fighting to keep his position. On Thursday (November 12), Nvidia announced that Huang Renxun resigned from his positions as president, CEO and board member, effective immediately. On the same day, Trump called Huang Jen-Hsun a "legend" on social media.

Previously, it was revealed that Huang Renxun not only had an extramarital affair with Alice Huang, a woman accused of being a Chinese spy, but also had an intimate relationship with two Nvidia employees.

According to the New York Times, during Trump’s first term, Huang Jensen was completely out of his radar. At the time, Huang didn't lobby, didn't donate to campaigns and had little interest in politics. Trump once recalled to people around him that when he first heard Huang Renxun's name, he asked: "What exactly is Nvidia?" By the end of 2024, Trump learned that Huang Renxun was an indispensable figure in the company that controlled at least 80% of the most advanced artificial intelligence chip market.

The following are the main time points of the two people's relationship.

January-July 2025: From Mar-a-Lago dinner to relaxing exports to China

January: Jen-Hsun Huang did not attend Trump's inauguration and celebrated the Lunar New Year with employees in Asia, but Nvidia donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee. At the end of the month, Trump met with Huang at the White House.

April: Huang attended Trump’s $1 million-per-person dinner at Mar-a-Lago. According to the New York Times, Trump has since developed a strong interest in Huang Renxun and later told him: "You are taking over the world, Jason." In the same month, the United States banned the export of Nvidia H20 chips to China, which Nvidia said could lead to a loss of $5.5 billion.

May: Jen-Hsun Huang accompanied Trump to visit the Persian Gulf region, and Trump announced an agreement between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to purchase Nvidia chips. In the same month, Huang Renxun and Huang Le attended a dinner together during the Taipei International Computer Show and were photographed having an intimate act.

July: Huang Renxun met with Trump at the White House before visiting China. Trump later praised him by name at an artificial intelligence summit: "Well done, you did a great job." Huang Jenxun called Trump "the unique advantage of the United States." In the same month, the Trump administration relaxed restrictions on sales of H20 chips to China, with the federal government taking a 15% commission from related revenue.

August-December 2025: Trump receives the first warning about "two yellow" relations; releases H200 chips

August: During negotiations between the Trump administration and Nvidia on the sale of advanced chips to China, Huang met with Trump at the White House. According to reports from the New York Times and Bloomberg, during the same period, Nvidia’s general counsel contacted the Department of Commerce to inquire about the investigation into suspected chip smuggling of Megaspeed, a Singaporean company where Huang Le once worked.

September: Huang Renxun accompanied Trump on a state visit to the UK.

October to the end of the year: According to the New York Times, Trump received the first warning about Huang’s relationship with Huang Le, but took no action.

November: Huang attended the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum held in Washington during the Saudi Crown Prince's visit to the United States.

December: Huang meets Trump in Washington. A few days later, Trump announced on "Real Social" that he would allow the export of more powerful H200 chips to approved Chinese customers, with the federal government taking a 25% commission.

January-May 2026: Huang Renxun joins the Presidential Advisory Committee and visits Beijing

January: The Trump administration began to approve the export of H200 chips to China on a case-by-case basis, but institutions included in the trade restriction list are still not included.

Late March: Jensen Huang is appointed as one of 13 members of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Spring: Trump received a second warning about Huang’s relationship with Le Huang, The New York Times reported.

May: Trump temporarily invited Huang Renxun to visit China, and Huang Renxun boarded Air Force One in Alaska. According to CNN, citing people familiar with the matter, Rubio informed Trump of the relevant intelligence while on his way to China; Trump denied this week that he had been informed of the matter.

September-October 2026: Jen-Hsun Huang was awarded the National Medal of Science; pledged to invest US$25 million to build the White House Ballroom

Mid-September: Huang takes a call from Trump at a summit in Los Angeles and puts it on loudspeaker for the audience to listen, in which Trump calls concerns about the safety of artificial intelligence a "hoax."

Late September: Jen-Hsun Huang attends a state banquet held for Xi Jinping at the White House.

September 29: Huang Renxun and several technology company executives met with Trump at the White House and signed a voluntary artificial intelligence security agreement.

Early October: Trump awarded the National Medal of Science to Huang Jen-Hsun and others. Trump disclosed on the same day that he bought up to $1.6 million in Nvidia shares in the summer of 2026 and sold up to $1 million.

Mid-October: The Washington Post reports that Nvidia has committed $25 million to Trump’s planned White House ballroom.

November 2026: From scandal to Jensen Huang’s resignation

November 8 (Sunday): Jensen Huang admitted to employees that he had been unfaithful to his wife, and Nvidia’s board of directors launched an investigation.

November 9 (Monday): Trump calls Jen-Hsun Huang a “decent man.” He said at the White House briefing that he asked Huang Renxun if he knew that the other party was a spy, and Huang Renxun said "no idea at all" and "I really believe him." Trump also said the FBI was investigating the matter.

November 10 (Tuesday): According to the New York Times, Trump called Jen-Hsun Huang and urged him to fight to keep his job.

November 11 (Wednesday): The New York Times revealed that Jen-Hsun Huang had an extramarital affair with a subordinate. Nvidia's board of directors met late at night to discuss his departure. Democratic senators sent a letter to the Trump administration requesting that documents related to Nvidia’s chip exports to China be retained. He also mentioned that he had spoken with Huang Renxun on Wednesday.

November 12 (Thursday): Nvidia announced that Huang Renxun resigned and Harvey Jones became the first chairman of the board of directors. Trump called Huang a "legend" on social media. Reuters reported exclusively, citing two people familiar with the matter, that Huang also had an intimate relationship with another female Nvidia employee.

According to the New York Times, citing a Trump adviser, Trump mainly viewed the incident from the perspective of an extramarital affair and was indifferent to its national security implications. In his view, Nvidia is "too big to fail," and he is also worried that the removal of Huang Renxun will trigger a sharp decline in the stock market.