SemaforComms

President Donald Trump reportedly made a last-minute personal push for Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to join his China delegation, reversing earlier expectations that Huang would skip the trip. According to Semafor, Huang was initially expected to stay away because of growing criticism from Republican China hawks and concerns that his presence could raise uncomfortable questions about Nvidia’s business ties to China. After reports surfaced that Huang would not attend, Trump reportedly called him Tuesday morning and urged him to join. Huang then flew to Alaska to board Air Force One. Nvidia confirmed to Benzinga that Huang was attending “at the invitation” of Trump to support U.S. economic and diplomatic priorities. Trump also confirmed Huang’s attendance in a Truth Social post, saying the Nvidia CEO was on Air Force One. He said it was an honor to have several top U.S. business leaders joining the China trip, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon. Huang’s inclusion highlights Nvidia’s sensitive position in the U.S.-China technology conflict. The company has been hit by U.S. restrictions on advanced chip exports, which have weakened its position in China’s data center market. Huang has previously said Nvidia’s China market share had effectively fallen to zero. The company has warned that being shut out of China long term could hurt its business and strengthen foreign competitors. Trump’s talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to put semiconductor exports near the center of the discussion.