Trump calls Huang onstage: 'We're not going to let' AI slowdown happen

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had an unexpected interruption during his appearance at the All-In Summit in Los Angeles on Monday when President Donald Trump called him mid-conversation. Huang asked stagehands for an extra microphone so he could broadcast the call to the audience over speaker.

Before the call, Huang had been discussing with the All-In podcast hosts — including investors Chamath Palihapitiya and Jason Calacanis, along with White House advisers David Friedberg and David Sacks — Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's call to slow the pace of AI capability development. SpaceX's Elon Musk and OpenAI's Sam Altman have both said they share that view, while Huang has taken a different position.

Trump's remarks

On the call, Trump argued that pushing to slow AI development plays into the hands of parties that don't want to see American progress succeed, naming political opponents and China as possible beneficiaries. He called the slowdown idea "a hoax." Huang agreed, telling Trump "we're not going to let that happen, sir," which drew applause from the crowd.

Data center concerns

Trump and allies such as Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan have suggested that rising opposition to data center construction may be part of an international effort to slow U.S. economic growth. However, polling cited in the report points to more grounded concerns: roughly seven in 10 Americans oppose data centers being built in their area, with over half citing environmental resource impacts and about 20% citing worries about rising cost of living. Trump said the industry should proceed carefully but should not be halted, adding that he supports Huang's approach.