Trump Meets Nvidia CEO After $4 Trillion Milestone Amid AI Chip Export Tensions
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited the White House on Thursday for a meeting with former President Donald Trump, coinciding with Nvidia’s historic climb to become the first publicly traded company to close a trading session with a market valuation surpassing $4 trillion—outpacing both Apple and Microsoft.
The meeting took place as Nvidia’s stock saw a modest uptick, marking another milestone for the AI chipmaker. The company briefly hit the $4 trillion mark during intraday trading on Wednesday before solidifying the record a day later.
Trump took to his social platform to celebrate the company’s performance, writing:
“NVIDIA IS UP 47% SINCE TRUMP TARIFFS. USA is taking in Hundreds of Billions of Dollars in Tariffs. COUNTRY IS NOW ‘BACK.’”
Although no official details were shared about the meeting’s agenda, the visit comes at a critical time for Nvidia, which continues to navigate U.S. government export controls on its AI processors. Earlier this year, restrictions introduced under Trump’s administration required Nvidia to obtain special licenses for its H20 chip—a product specifically designed for China.
CEO Jensen Huang previously acknowledged the impact of these restrictions, telling investors the company would lose out on approximately $8 billion in planned orders for the chip during its July quarter due to a lack of a grace period.
“With the new export rules, the $50 billion China market is essentially shut off to U.S. companies,” Huang said during Nvidia’s earnings call in May.
In addition to existing trade hurdles, Nvidia is also facing the potential for new export limitations following the cancellation of a proposed “AI diffusion rule” introduced under the previous administration. Trump officials have indicated that revised, simplified export guidelines will be introduced later this year, determining which nations can access U.S.-made AI technology.
