On Tuesday, President Donald Trump reportedly made a personal 11th-hour appeal to Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang to join his China delegation after earlier concerns that the chipmaker’s presence could intensify political scrutiny over U.S. semiconductor exports to Beijing.
Trump Reverses Course On Jensen Huang’s China Visit
Huang was initially expected to skip the high-profile trip due to mounting criticism from Republican China hawks and concerns that his attendance could trigger “awkward conversations” over Nvidia’s contested business ties with China, Semafor reported.
However, after reports surfaced that Huang would not attend, Trump directly contacted the Nvidia chief on Tuesday morning and urged him to join the visit.
Huang then reportedly flew to Alaska to board Air Force One.
In an emailed statement to Benzinga, Nvidia confirmed Huang was attending “at the invitation” of Trump to support U.S. economic and diplomatic priorities.
White House did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comments.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump confirmed the same saying, “Jensen is currently on Air Force One.”
He added that it was an “honor” to have top U.S. business leaders — including Huang, Tesla Inc.’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) Elon Musk, Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) Tim Cook, BlackRock Inc.’s (NYSE:BLK) Larry Fink and Qualcomm Inc.’s (NASDAQ:QCOM) Cristiano Amon — join his China trip as he seeks to push President Xi Jinping to further open China’s economy to American companies.
Nvidia’s China Ambitions Collide With U.S. National Security Debate
Huang’s inclusion highlights Nvidia’s increasingly delicate position at the center of the U.S.-China technology war.
The company has faced significant setbacks in China after U.S. restrictions on advanced semiconductor exports sharply reduced its once-dominant position in the Chinese data center market.
Huang previously said Nvidia’s China market share had effectively fallen to zero, while the company has warned that prolonged exclusion from China could materially harm its long-term business and strengthen foreign rivals.
Earlier this month, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) sought answers from the Commerce Department after conflicting remarks from Secretary Howard Lutnick and Huang fueled over whether advanced U.S. AI chips are making their way to China.
Trump’s talks with Xi are expected to put semiconductor exports at the center of a major geopolitical issue.
Price Action: Nvidia shares closed Tuesday at $220.78, up 0.61% and slipped 0.59% to $219.48 in after-hours trading, according to Benzinga Pro.
According to Benzinga Edge Rankings, Nvidia scores in the 98th percentile for Quality, underscoring its strong performance across short, medium and long-term periods.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo: Joey Sussman from Shutterstock
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