Clout wars: Jensen Huang eclipses Elon Musk and Tim Cook in Washington

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U.S. President Donald Trump (L) listens arsenic Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks successful the Cross Hall of the White House during an lawsuit connected "Investing successful America" connected April 30, 2025 successful Washington, DC.

Andrew Harnik | Getty Images

The China-U.S. commercialized warfare successful the archetypal Donald Trump medication saw Apple CEO Tim Cook spell connected a charm violative with the president portion maintaining beardown relations with Beijing.  

Apple avoided U.S. tariffs and continued to turn successful China, portion Cook earned the estimation arsenic a skilled argumentation navigator and salient American concern envoy to Beijing.

But, successful Trump 2.0, not lone has Apple mislaid its crown to Nvidia arsenic America's astir invaluable company, respective tech pundits accidental the AI darling's charismatic leader, Jensen Huang, has near Cook acold down successful governmental influence. 

"Huang has go a planetary fig and taken connected a caller relation politically owed to his occurrence successful the AI revolution," said Wedbush's Dan Ives, adding that the value of Nvidia's AI chips has "vaulted him up of Cook."  

"He has recovered himself successful a precise beardown presumption to navigate the governmental scenery ... [as] determination is lone 1 spot successful the satellite fueling the AI revolution, and that's Nvidia's," Ives said.

The optics of Huang's governmental ascendancy person ne'er been stronger, arsenic Nvidia past week announced during its CEO's latest sojourn to Beijing that it expected to soon resume income of its H20 AI chips to China.

Huang's 'historic' week 

The exports of the H20 spot to China had been restricted earlier this twelvemonth — a determination that Huang openly lobbied against.

"It was a historical triumph for Nvidia and Jensen ... and I deliberation it shows the expanding governmental power that Huang's having wrong the Trump administration," Ives said. Huang had met with Trump successful DC close earlier his China visit. 

The H20 reversal has been linked to commercialized negotiations betwixt the U.S. and China. However, respective experts told CNBC that Huang's lobbying played a ample relation successful it. 

The Nvidia CEO has met with Trump galore times this year, including joining him connected a travel to the Middle East successful May, which resulted successful a massive AI deal that volition spot the transportation of hundreds of thousands of Nvidia's precocious AI chips to the United Arab Emirates. 

The Emirates woody had been seen arsenic a mode for America to propulsion its planetary tech leadership, solidifying its exertion stack successful a caller marketplace implicit imaginable rivals similar China's Huawei.

After the trip, Huang progressively began making a lawsuit against U.S. spot restrictions, arguing that they would erode America's tech enactment to the payment of home Chinese players. 

According to a report from the New York Times, this had besides been a communicative Huang had been pushing to Trump and his officials down the scenes. 

Paul Triolo, elder vice president for China and technology argumentation pb astatine DGA-Albright Stonebridge Group, told CNBC that Huang's arguments aligned with the reasoning of influential White House AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks, further swaying the medication to assistance restrictions connected H20 spot exports. 

"Sacks and Huang some reason that limiting exports of U.S. exertion specified arsenic prime and non-cutting-edge GPUs to China risks pushing Chinese companies to usage home alternatives ... At the extremity of the day, this statement apt carried the time connected the H20 issue," helium said. 

It's unclear erstwhile oregon if Nvidia volition restart accumulation lines of the H20, but if Nvidia is simply capable to merchantability existing stocks of the chips, it volition inactive beryllium a "significant gross boost and beneficial to Nvidia successful presumption of retaining clients' goodwill successful China," Triolo added.  Nvidia said it took a $4.5 cardinal writedown connected its unsold H20 inventory successful May.

Huang said last week that each civilian AI exemplary should tally connected the U.S. exertion stack, "encouraging nations worldwide to choose America," as Nvidia announced resuming H20 income soon.

Not Musk, not Cook

When Trump won his 2nd statesmanlike predetermination successful November, galore had expected a antithetic tech CEO to clasp the astir power connected the medication and to enactment arsenic a span betwixt the U.S. and China. But Tesla's Elon Musk had a alternatively nationalist break-up with Trump.

In November, experts told CNBC that Musk's adjacent ties to Trump and his concern interests successful China could assistance soften the president's assertive commercialized stance toward Beijing, portion cautioning against putting excessively overmuch banal into the Tesla CEO.

Meanwhile, nether Trump's 2nd presidency, Apple's Cook has seen immoderate beardown pushback from the administration.

In May, Trump expressed a "little occupation with Tim Cook" implicit Apple manufacturing products successful India, contempt the iPhone maker's committedness of a $500 cardinal concern successful the U.S., announced successful February.

In effect to the latest commercialized tensions betwixt China and the U.S., Apple has accelerated efforts to de-risk proviso chains from China by moving much iPhone accumulation to India.

Earlier this month, Trump advisor Peter Navarro besides criticized Cook, saying he was not moving production out of China accelerated enough.  

Apple and Cook were seen arsenic the astir influential institution and CEO, respectively, successful the archetypal Trump administration, but present its Huang and Nvidia, said Ray Wang, CEO of Silicon Valley-based Constellation Research. "Almost everything rides connected Nvidia's chips."

Risks remain

According Triolo, portion Huang has truthful acold been capable to "fairly deftly straddle some the U.S. authorities and China market" and "President Trump appears to beryllium a large fan," it remains unclear precisely wherever the medication volition gully the enactment connected spot restrictions. 

"The goalposts present person been changed respective times, causing important and costly forced redesigns and booking capacity," helium said. 

Despite Huang's increasing power successful the tech satellite and successful the Trump administration, determination is nary warrant it volition stay that way, different experts said. 

"For the moment, NVIDIA has gone from being the main people of spot controls to main influencer. The question is, however agelong volition that infinitesimal last?" said Reva Goujon, manager astatine Rhodium Group. 

The U.S. is besides presently carrying retired an probe connected the semiconductor manufacture that could effect successful sector-wide tariffs, and erstwhile again enactment the Trump administration's aims astatine likelihood with Nvidia's business. While Nvidia has been moving much manufacturing to the U.S., astir of it remains successful Taiwan. 

Cook whitethorn connection a acquisition connected however tricky it tin beryllium to run a large exertion concern that views some China and the U.S. arsenic cardinal markets.

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