Days after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang publicly admitted to having an affair with Alice Huang, an alleged Chinese spy, Democrats are raising questions about US President Donald Trump's response to the situation. The scrutiny follows reports that the president was briefed about the matter more than a year ago but took no action.

Sharing a report on his social media account on Tuesday (local time), Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer criticized Trump, alleging that he had been informed about Huang's involvement with the suspected Chinese spy but did nothing to address the potential national security concerns.

In a post on X, Schumer wrote, "Trump was briefed over A YEAR AGO on Nvidia’s CEO having an affair with a Chinese spy. He did nothing about it. Instead, Trump took him to Beijing, took his advice to give China access to our AI chips, & accepted a $25M donation from Nvidia. We need answers immediately on Trump’s failure to protect our national security."

What did the memo reveal about Huang's alleged ties?

The criticism follows a report by The New York Times on Monday (local time), which said that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had overseen the drafting of a highly classified memo during the spring. The memo reportedly warned senior Trump administration officials about Huang's alleged close ties with Alice Huang, who was identified as a Chinese spy.

The controversy has also raised questions about how much Trump knew about the alleged espionage links, when he became aware of them, and whether any sensitive information related to the US artificial intelligence (AI) race with China was exposed.

The NYT report, citing people familiar with the matter, also said Rubio reminded Trump of Huang's relationship with the alleged spy when the Nvidia CEO travelled to China aboard Air Force One during Trump's state visit in May. It added that this was the second time in seven months that Trump had been informed about the matter.

What has Trump said about allegations?

The account contradicts Trump's remarks to reporters on Monday, when he denied knowing about Huang's alleged relationship with the suspected Chinese spy during the China visit. However, the US president later spoke with the Nvidia chief to check how he was holding up. Trump said Huang assured him "he had absolutely no idea that the person in question was a spy," Bloomberg reported. "I just know Jensen very well. I just think he’s a very honourable man," he added.

While Trump said the episode had triggered an FBI probe and separate calls for congressional investigations, it has not appeared to shake his confidence in the Nvidia CEO. Faced with repeated questions about their relationship on Monday, Trump referred to their personal friendship, offering a strong defence of a tech titan who has spent the past two years forging a close alliance with him since his return to the White House for a second term.

How close are Donald Trump and Jensen Huang?

Reports suggest that Huang is among the few corporate leaders to have enjoyed such close access to Trump. Having emerged as one of the world's most powerful technology executives as Nvidia's AI chips grew in importance to the global economy, Huang has made frequent visits to the White House, received invitations to state dinners and even travelled to China aboard Air Force One.

This access has also strengthened his influence within the Trump administration on key issues, including AI infrastructure development, export controls and US-China policy.

The allegations have brought renewed attention to the relationship between the Trump administration and one of the world's most influential technology executives. With Democrats questioning what the president knew and when he was informed, the reported intelligence warnings and the FBI probe could lead to further scrutiny of the administration's handling of potential national security risks linked to the US-China AI competition.

(With agency inputs)