Trump Reportedly Approved Chip Crackdown for Third Time

President Donald Trump reportedly approved measures against companies suspected of diverting advanced Nvidia chips to China on November 5, the third such approval this year, but the restrictions had not been implemented as of November 11. The account of the decisions and an internal dispute over enforcement is based on unnamed officials familiar with the discussions; the Commerce Department disputed one reported exchange between senior officials.

The reported approvals came in May, August and November. According to the account, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick resisted or delayed proposed export controls, which the Commerce Department would be responsible for implementing. The reports did not establish that a formal order had been issued or specify the full scope of any measures.

During a November 5 meeting in the White House Situation Room, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent questioned why Commerce had not acted, particularly regarding Singapore-based data-centre company Megaspeed, according to the officials. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also attended. Lutnick reportedly said he needed to check with...