Trump Says He Won’t Let Nvidia Sell Advanced Chips to China, Other Countries

The United States is currently winning the AI race, Trump said, but giving China advanced chips will provide it with ‘an equal advantage’ in the competition.

President Donald Trump (L) listens as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks in the Cross Hall of the White House during an event on "Investing in America" in Washington, on April 30, 2025. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump said he would not let China purchase Nvidia’s flagship Blackwell chips in an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” that aired on Nov. 2.

“No, we won’t do that,” Trump said during the interview, which was taped on Oct. 31, when asked about whether the chipmaker would be allowed to sell its most advanced chips to China.

“We will not let anybody have them other than the United States.”

The “60 Minutes” interview on Oct. 31 was Trump’s first appearance on the show since suing and reaching a settlement with the network’s parent company, Paramount, in July.

During the interview, Trump said that the United States is currently winning the AI race, but giving China advanced chips will provide it with “an equal advantage” in the competition.

“Right now, we’re winning it because we’re producing electricity like never before,” the president said.

On Oct. 31, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang expressed hope that his company would be able to sell its Blackwell chips, its latest generation of AI chips, in China at some point, although there are no plans to do so at the moment.

“I hope so, but that’s a decision for President Trump to make,” Huang told reporters on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO summit in Gyeongju, South Korea.

The United States has imposed export controls on the sale of Nvidia’s most advanced AI chips to China, aiming to limit its tech progress, particularly in applications that could help its military.

“We’re getting approvals done in two to three weeks. It used to take 20 years. And we are leading the AI race right now by a lot,” Trump said.

On Nov. 2, he reiterated this stance when asked about Nvidia’s Blackwell chips aboard Air Force One on his way back to Washington.

“It’s 10 years ahead of every other chip,” Trump said. “No, we don’t give that chip to other people.”

After the Oct. 30 bilateral meeting with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, Trump told reporters that semiconductors had been discussed and that China was “going to be talking to Nvidia and others about taking chips.”

“We’re not talking about the Blackwell,” Trump said.

Last week, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle urged caution about selling advanced chips to China.

The House Select Committee on the CCP stated in a post on X that its chair, Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), had told the Trump administration that the United States “cannot sell the latest advanced AI chips to our country’s primary adversary.”

“At a time when the most advanced chips are limited in supply, growing our economy and supporting American ingenuity should come before facilitating the CCP’s military modernization and human rights abuses,” committee Co-Chair Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) said in a statement.

During the CBS interview, Trump also addressed China’s rare earth export restrictions, which have been used as a bargaining chip during the negotiations. He said his administration has launched an emergency program to reduce reliance on China for rare earths and critical minerals.

“Within a year from now to a year and a half, we'll have everything we need,” Trump said, noting that China will no longer pose a threat.

Catherine Yang contributed to this report.