US President Donald Trump took a tech tone towards Jensen Huang on Monday, saying the Nvidia CEO was “suffering greatly” and didn’t know a woman he had an affair with was an alleged Chinese spy.

Trump also danced around the question of when he personally was aware of intelligence linking the chip boss to Alice Huang, a Chinese executive who had allegedly been funnelling information to Beijing.

The US leader said he had spoken to Huang earlier on Monday “to see if he’s feeling alright,” calling the Taiwanese-born tech boss an “amazing guy.” “I asked him that question, ‘did you have any idea that she was a spy?’ He said, ‘I had no idea that she was a spy,’ and I really believe him,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

He added: “I hope there is no problem. I believe he is suffering greatly…more so because of his family, his wife, who he loves, and his family. But he’s definitely suffering.” Jensen Huang sent a message to Nvidia employees on Sunday in which he acknowledged having an affair and apologised to both his family and company staff.

Trump said he was not aware of the allegations when Huang accompanied him to China in May. Huang is a key figure in the AI revolution and close to the US president.

“No, I didn’t hear about it then. But a lot of people have heard about it,” Trump said.

Huang has also attended numerous White House events, including a state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September.

But Trump would not specify when he was told.

“Not too long ago. We’ll look into it, I know the FBI is looking into it in terms of something else, and I think he’ll be in good shape,” Trump said.

Asked by AFP to clarify the president’s remark as to whether there is an investigation into Huang under way, the FBI declined comment Monday.