Trump slams report of Nvidia CEO not being part of his delegation for China visit; confirms Musk, Cook, Amon's presence
Washington DC, May 13
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said in a Truth Social post that NVIDIA President and CEO Jensen Huang was travelling aboard Air Force One to China alongside several top American business leaders, rejecting a report that claimed the Nvidia chief had not been invited.
In a Truth Social Post, he said, "CNBC incorrectly reported that the Great Jensen Huang, of Nvidia, was not invited to the incredible gathering of the World's Greatest Businessmen/women proudly going to China."
"In actuality, Jensen is currently on Air Force One and, unless I ask him to leave, which is highly unlikely, CNBC's reporting is incorrect or, as they say in politics, fake news!" he added.
Trump described Huang's presence on the trip as "an Honor" and listed several prominent executives accompanying him during the China visit.
The other executives mentioned by Trump included Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX, Tim Cook of Apple, Larry Fink of BlackRock, Stephen Schwarzman of Blackstone, Kelly Ortberg of Boeing, Jane Fraser of Citigroup, David Solomon of Goldman Sachs, Sanjay Mehrotra of Micron Technology and Cristiano Amon of Qualcomm.
"It is an Honor to have Jensen, Elon, Tim Apple, Larry Fink, Stephen Schwarzmann, Kelly Ortberg (Boeing), Brian Sikes (Cargill), Jane Fraser (Citi), Larry Culp (GE Aerospace), David Solomon (Goldman Sachs), Sanjay Mehrotra (Micron), Cristiano Amon (Qualcomm), and many others journeying to the Great Country of China," Trump said.
Trump said he intended to discuss economic opening measures with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the visit. "I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to 'open up' China so that these brilliant people can work their magic, and help bring the People's Republic to an even higher level!" Trump said.
He said, "In fact, I promise, that when we are together, which will be in a matter of hours, I will make that my very first request."
Trump added, "I have never seen or heard of any idea that would be more beneficial to our incredible Countries!"
Meanwhile, First Lady Melania Trump will not be accompanying US President Donald Trump to China during this visit, as per the White House.
Trump, who departed for China a short while ago, is accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair, Deputy National Security Advisor Robert Gabriel, Ambassador Jamieson Greer, and Ambassador Monica Crowley aboard Air Force One.
Others accompanying President Trump are White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Beau Harrison, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller, Assistant to the President & White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung, and President's Science and Tech Advisor Michael Kratsios.
Also aboard Air Force One are Eric Trump, Lara Trump, Ross Worthington and Walt Nauta.
Before his departure to China, Trump interacted with the media and expressed optimism ahead of his visit.
Calling President Xi a friend, Trump told reporters, "You're going to see that good things are going to happen. This is going to be a very exciting trip."
When asked if Xi Jinping would help in making a deal with Iran, Trump said, "It might be. I don't think we need any help with Iran. They're defeated militarily, and they'll either do the right thing, or we'll finish the job. They're either going to do the right thing or we're just going to finish the job."
The US President told the media that among the several items for discussions with China, trade would be a key focus area."We're going to be talking with President Xi about a lot of different things. I would say more than anything else will be trade," Trump said.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Trump calling Xi a "leader of extraordinary distinction" and asking him to "open up China" - that's quite a diplomatic shift. For us in India, we've seen how China plays hardball on trade. If Trump can actually get concessions on IP protection and market access, it could reshape global tech supply chains. 🇮🇳
Sir, this visit is historic. But we have to protect Indian interests too. If US-China trade deal happens, India should push for more tech transfer and manufacturing partnerships with both nations. Our semiconductor mission needs allies like Nvidia and Qualcomm. Just saying... 🤔
The list of CEOs is impressive - Musk, Cook, Fink, and importantly Sanjay Mehrotra from Micron and Cristiano Amon from Qualcomm. Both have strong India connections. Micron's assembly plant in Gujarat is a big deal. Hope Trump-Xi talks lead to more stable semiconductor supply chains for the world.
Honestly, Trump's aggressive stance on Iran and trade with China is classic him. But "unless I ask him to leave, which is highly unlikely" - that's pure Trump style. Media should be more careful with reporting. Let's hope this visit brings some stability to global markets. 🙏
Why is Melania not going? That's a bit unusual. And the entourage includes Eric and Lara Trump - seems like a family affair mixed with business. For India, we should watch how the US-China trade deal impacts our IT exports and pharmaceutical sector. We compete with China in many markets.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.