Trump’s Nvidia Stock Purchase Sparks Conflict-of-Interest Amid Chip Export Shift
President Donald Trump bought between $1 million and $5 million of Nvidia stock shortly before his administration lifted export restrictions on advanced AI chips to China, raising conflict-of-interest concerns, according to financial disclosures reported by NDTV. The timing of the purchase relative to the policy reversal was highlighted in the filings.
The purchase coincided with a bipartisan push in Congress to tighten chip export controls; Republican and Democratic leaders are advancing three bills to embed stricter limits on advanced semiconductor technology in the upcoming National Defense Authorization Act. Earlier research found that Chinese AI models had been trained on Nvidia’s Blackwell GPUs, which are prohibited for export, and a former Nvidia lobbyist said the company used its ties to Trump to influence legislation and downplay the technical feasibility of location-based chip restrictions.
