WASHINGTON — Jensen Huang arrived for the eight-hour flight from Anchorage, Alaska, to Beijing, China, dressed in his trademark black leather jacket and carrying a backpack.
The day was clear and calm, with no outward indication of the political turmoil that was about to unfold.
The Nvidia CEO was boarding Air Force One at President Trump’s personal invitation, joining a state visit to a country where he was seeking to expand the company’s chip business.
Months later, it would emerge that Huang, one of the world’s wealthiest men, had been involved in an affair with Alice Huang, a Chinese woman suspected of serving as a corporate espionage operative for Xi Jinping’s government.
The Post obtained behind-the-scenes photographs showing Huang boarding the flight. The images were taken on May 12, 2026, when Air Force One stopped in Anchorage to refuel on its journey from Joint Base Andrews to Beijing.
Huang arrived aboard his private jet accompanied by a bodyguard and a personal aide. Walt Nauta, Trump’s longtime body man, met him on the tarmac and escorted him to the presidential aircraft.
As they walked toward the plane, Huang stopped to speak with Eric Trump and Fox News anchor Sean Hannity, who were also traveling with the president. The men exchanged brief pleasantries while Air Force One was refueled before boarding via the main staircase.
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 warned the president 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 the summit with Xi. He added that he would consult intelligence officials.
“I’d certainly check with the intelligence people,” he said. “They could have been mentioned. Certainly, it didn’t make much of an impact on me.”
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However, The New York Times reported that Rubio, who was on the trip, warned Trump after learning that the president had invited Huang to accompany him. Rubio allegedly told Trump that the Nvidia CEO was involved with a woman believed to be a Chinese spy.
The White House rejected the report.
“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 asked the CEO about the allegations and was told that Huang had not known Alice was 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 computer 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 food carts on the city’s streets.
Trump is scheduled to return to China next week, a visit that is likely to be overshadowed by the allegations surrounding Huang.
The president said Huang would not accompany him this time.