Trump Approved Nvidia Chip Crackdown Three Times; Lutnick Delays Implementation

President Donald Trump has approved crackdowns on companies suspected of diverting advanced Nvidia AI chips to China three times this year, but Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has repeatedly delayed implementation, according to an Axios report. The latest approval came November 5 after Trump consulted Elon Musk. During a White House Situation Room meeting, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other officials pressed Lutnick to act on suspected chip diversion, particularly involving Singapore-based Megaspeed. Lutnick resisted, warning of a trade war with China, but Trump ultimately declared "Let's get it done" after officials argued Beijing was already acting against American interests. The dispute follows a classified intelligence assessment about Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's relationship with Alice Huang, a suspected Chinese intelligence asset linked to Megaspeed. The administration had previously eased restrictions on Nvidia's H200 chips for China in exchange for a 25% tariff, with Huang arguing continued access preserves US technological influence.