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On Tuesday, President Donald Trump reached out to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to encourage him to retain his position, according to a report in The New York Times. This conversation took place just two days before Huang was compelled to resign due to a spying scandal and allegations of extramarital affairs. The report cites two unnamed sources familiar with the call.

Despite intelligence agencies' conclusions that a woman Huang was romantically involved with had been recruited by Chinese intelligence, Trump remained supportive of Huang until the end. The woman, identified as Alice Huang, had been the subject of at least two intelligence warnings to the president, one late last year and another in the spring.

Nvidia, co-founded by Huang and now a leading manufacturer of advanced artificial intelligence chips, had become a significant ally of Trump's in Silicon Valley. The president even included Huang in a visit to China in May, despite the intelligence warnings. This support for Huang has raised questions about the White House's handling of intelligence concerns surrounding a crucial technology company, especially as the US and China compete for dominance in the semiconductor market.

In the wake of the scandal, Nvidia announced that Huang was stepping down as CEO. Colette Kress, the company's CFO, would serve as interim CEO. The report also details how Trump continued to defend Huang after the scandal broke. On Monday, the president claimed he had spoken with Huang and believed him when Huang said he was unaware of the woman's alleged espionage.

Trump also floated the idea of Tim Cook, the former Apple CEO, potentially taking over Nvidia's leadership. The affair has prompted calls in Congress for an investigation into whether Huang's relationships endangered sensitive American AI industry information and whether decisions were made that facilitated chip exports to China.