President Donald Trump proposed former Apple chief Tim Cook to replace Jensen Huang as CEO of chipmaking giant Nvidia, according to a Truth Social post published Thursday [1]. The proposal came hours after Huang resigned as president, CEO, and board member, effective immediately, at the $4 trillion company on Nov. 12. Nvidia's chief financial officer, Colette Kress, was selected as his interim replacement while the board searches for a permanent CEO [2].
The statement was Trump's first public comment since Huang's departure [3]. Cook, who stepped down as Apple's CEO on September 1, 2026, after 15 years running the company, now serves as the iPhone maker's executive chairman; John Ternus, previously senior vice president of hardware engineering, succeeded him as CEO [4].
Nvidia became the first company to touch a $4 trillion market value on July 10, 2025, amid the AI hardware boom [5].
Huang Resignation and Context
Huang's departure was effective immediately from the $4 trillion chipmaking company, Nvidia said [1]. The resignation followed reports of an affair with a woman whom U.S. intelligence reportedly identified as an alleged Chinese spy, as well as increased scrutiny from lawmakers over China chips and the CEO scandal, according to Just the News [3]. MacRumors reported that Nvidia announced Huang resigned following reports that he had two extramarital affairs [6].
Huang's resignation arrived as Nvidia remained at the center of an intensifying U.S.-China technology rivalry, with the U.S. Department of Commerce having issued updated guidance restricting Nvidia's sales of advanced AI chips to China [7]. Beijing has also imposed chip quotas on its domestic firms, forcing China's AI industry to adapt to constrained access to advanced foreign silicon [8].
The stock slumped about 6 percent near the closing bell on Nov. The resignation also drew fresh attention to Nvidia's role in the broader AI infrastructure buildout, where demand for its data center chips has remained strong; Nvidia's Q3 earnings and Q4 guidance exceeded Wall Street expectations, with Huang stating that sales of its Blackwell platform were "off the charts" and that "cloud GPUs are sold out" [9]. Nvidia had previously committed $500 billion to build AI supercomputers and advanced semiconductors exclusively in the United States [10].
Trump's Proposal and Cook Background
The two have appeared together at White House events, including a star-studded dinner in November 2025 that also included Elon Musk and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo [11]. Cook also joined Trump on a May 2026 trip to China along with Tesla's Elon Musk and Huang [12].
Trump's suggestion drew immediate attention because there is no indication that Nvidia is considering Cook or that the president has a say in who gets the job, according to Washington Post and Quartz reporting [13][14]. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) responded to the proposal, according to CBS News [15].
Succession Speculation and Market Reaction
Gizmodo reported that other potential successors included Eric Schmidt and Lisa Su [16]. No further details on the succession race were immediately available, and the board had not yet indicated whether it would promote from within or look to an outside figure to lead the company.
Nvidia's Next Steps
The leadership vacuum at Nvidia arrives at a sensitive moment for the company's role in global AI competition. Huang had publicly warned that the U.S. risked losing the AI race to China due to lower energy costs and what he described as pro-innovation regulations abroad, while U.S. export controls pushed China toward building a self-sufficient tech ecosystem [17]. He also said China was poised to dominate the AI race not because of superior technology, but due to state-subsidized energy costs and streamlined regulations [18]. Huang further stated there was a "zero percent chance" that AI would cause human extinction by 2030, dismissing such warnings as "doomsday narratives" [19].
Trump has previously intervened in semiconductor industry personnel matters, calling in August 2025 for the immediate resignation of Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan over what the president described as "highly conflicted" investments in companies linked to the Chinese People's Liberation Army [20].
References
- Trump Proposes Tim Cook as New Nvidia CEO. https://www.theepochtimes.com/tech/trump-proposes-tim-cook-as-new-nvidia-ceo-6124378
- ‘A Legend replaces a Legend’: Trump floats Apple’s Cook to head up Nvidia. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/12/trump-apple-tim-cook-nvidia-01162128
- Trump backs former Apple CEO Cook to lead chipmaker Nvidia after founder Huang resigns amid scandals. https://justthenews.com/government/white-house/trump-backs-former-apple-ceo-lead-chipmaker-nvidia-after-founder-huang?utm_source=justthenews.com&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=external-news-aggregators
- Trump floats Apple chairman Tim Cook as Jensen Huang’s successor. https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/12/trump-floats-apple-chairman-tim-cook-as-jensen-huangs-successor/
- NVIDIA surpasses 4 trillion market cap amid AI boom and geopolitical strains - NaturalNews.com, July 11, 2025.
- Trump Says Tim Cook Should Be Nvidia CEO as Jensen Huang Resigns. https://www.macrumors.com/2026/11/12/trump-says-tim-cook-should-be-nvidia-ceo/
- Nvidia AI Chip Sales to China Face New U.S. Export Restrictions - NaturalNews.com, July 01, 2026.
- The great inference gambit: How Beijing's chip quotas, not silicon superiority, are forcing China's AI future - NaturalNews.com, September 08, 2026.
- Nvidia's explosive earnings defy AI bubble worries fueling market rally - NaturalNews.com, November 21, 2025.
- Trump vows to fast-track Nvidia's 500B push for domestic AI chip manufacturing - NaturalNews.com, April 17, 2025.
- Watch Trump's epic white house feast with Ronaldo, Musk, and other power players. https://modernity.news/2025/11/20/watch-trumps-epic-white-house-feast-with-ronaldo-musk-and-other-power-players/
- Top US CEOs Join Trump in China. https://www.ntd.com/ntdplus/top-us-ceos-join-trump-in-china_1145638.html
- Trump says Apple’s Tim Cook should take over Nvidia. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/11/12/trump-says-apples-tim-cook-should-take-over-nvidia/
- Trump floated Tim Cook as Nvidia's next CEO after Jensen Huang resigned. https://qz.com/trump-tim-cook-nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-resigned-111226
- Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) responded to President Trump’s proposal to replace Jensen Huang as Nvidia CEO with former Apple CEO Tim Cook. https://www.facebook.com/CBSNews/videos/rep-hakeem-jeffries-d-ny-responded-to-president-trumps-proposal-to-replace-jense/1149174537620402/
- Trump Wants Tim Cook to Replace Jensen Huang as Nvidia CEO. https://gizmodo.com/trump-tim-cook-jensen-huang-replace-2000838938
- America losing AI battle to China due to excessive regulation Nvidia chief warns - NaturalNews.com, November 06, 2025.
- Nvidia's Jensen Huang: China will surpass US in AI race through ENERGY - NaturalNews.com, November 10, 2025.
- Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Rejects AI Extinction Claims - NaturalNews.com, September 23, 2026.
- Trump demands RESIGNATION of Intel CEO over ties to companies linked to Chinese military - NaturalNews.com, August 11, 2025.
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