WASHINGTON — Jensen Huang arrived in Anchorage, Alaska, dressed in his trademark black leather jacket and carrying a backpack as he prepared to board an eight-hour flight to Beijing.
The weather was clear and calm. Behind the scenes, however, a political storm was taking shape.
At the personal invitation of President Trump, the Nvidia chief was boarding Air Force One for a state visit to China, where he was seeking to expand the chipmaker’s business.
Months later, Huang, one of the world’s wealthiest people, would acknowledge an affair with Alice Huang, a Chinese woman believed to be involved in corporate espionage on behalf of Xi Jinping’s government.
The Post obtained behind-the-scenes photos of Huang boarding the flight on May 12, 2026. Air Force One had stopped in Anchorage to refuel during its journey from Joint Base Andrews to Beijing.
Huang arrived aboard his private jet accompanied by a bodyguard and personal aide. Walt Nauta, Trump’s longtime body man, met him on the tarmac and escorted him to the presidential aircraft.
As they made their way across the runway, Huang stopped to speak with Eric Trump and Fox News host Sean Hannity, who were also traveling with the president. The men exchanged pleasantries while Air Force One was refueled, then climbed the main staircase and boarded.
Five months later, Huang acknowledged having an affair with Alice Huang, who is not related to him and is suspected of spying for China. Reports said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had warned Trump that Alice was likely a Chinese intelligence operative.
Trump said he was unaware of the allegations when he invited Huang to join the trip.
“No, I didn’t hear about it then,” Trump told reporters Monday when asked whether he knew about the matter before his summit with Xi. He added that he would consult intelligence officials.
“I’d certainly check with the intelligence people,” Trump said. “They could have been mentioned. Certainly, it didn’t make much of an impact on me.”
Rubio, who traveled with the president and learned that Huang had been invited, reportedly warned Trump that the Nvidia CEO was involved with a woman believed to be a Chinese spy, according to The New York Times.
The White House rejected that account.
“Refer to the President’s comments yesterday. These sources have no idea what they’re talking about,” a White House official said.
Trump has continued to defend Huang, saying he questioned the CEO directly and was told that Huang did not know Alice was allegedly working as a spy.
“He said he had absolutely no idea that the person in question was a spy. I asked him that question: Did you have any idea that she was a spy? He said, ‘I had no idea that she was a spy,’ and I really believe him,” Trump said Monday.
Alice Huang was an executive at Megaspeed International, a Singapore-based company accused of illegally shipping advanced Nvidia chips to China.
During the May visit, Huang joined Xi at a meeting with other business leaders, including SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who also traveled aboard Air Force One.
Huang also attended the formal state dinner. After Trump departed, he remained in Beijing and was later seen visiting street food carts.
Trump is scheduled to return to China next week, although the trip is likely to be overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Huang’s affair.
The president said Huang would not accompany him this time.
