Nvidia's Trump Connection Won't Shield It From a Hostile Washington, Report Says

Nvidia chief Jensen Huang's cozy relationship with President Donald Trump probably won't protect the chipmaker from a more adversarial Washington now that the election is over, according to a Semafor report published Friday. The shift is coming from both directions. Victorious Democrats are angling to lead the regulatory committees that oversee the company, while Republicans are drawing up plans for tougher export controls on chips.

The pressure is getting personal for Huang. Three Republican House members have asked him to appear at a briefing on whether he was targeted by a Chinese intelligence agent, Semafor reported. Separately, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren wants Huang to testify before Congress about Nvidia's chip sales to China and other related matters.

Huang isn't a stranger to the halls of power. He previously met with the president to discuss export controls on Nvidia's chips, and Cointelegraph reported in March that Trump had appointed leaders from the crypto, blockchain, AI and tech industries to his Council of Advisors on Science and Technology — Huang among them.

That goodwill now looks like it may not buy much. With Democrats emboldened after the midterms and Republicans hardening their stance on chip exports, Nvidia's China business sits squarely in the crosshairs of both parties.

What happens next hinges on whether Huang accepts the invitation to brief lawmakers and agrees to testify. Either way, Washington's mood toward the world's most valuable chipmaker is curdling.