Trump takes Elon Musk to Asia for trade talks, skips Nvidia scandal
President Donald Trump will travel to the Philippines and China next week with Elon Musk for diplomatic meetings, avoiding discussion of the Nvidia CEO scandal involving an alleged Chinese agent. The trip includes a trade deal with Thailand and a trilateral meeting with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. Administration officials say Musk's economic and national security expertise makes him a valuable adviser, though he will not join the trilateral meeting. Trump does not plan to confront Xi about Jensen Huang's ouster, and officials expect no Chinese retaliation for potential export control actions. The agenda focuses on trade measures, advanced computer chip restrictions, and nuclear weapons limits. Trump will meet ASEAN leaders and the Quad alliance, but has no plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.