Senior officials in the White House are considering the potential removal of Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, according to Reuters, which references multiple sources. Although similar conversations have occurred within the U.S. administration in the past, they have become central due to the spy scandal concerning former Nvidia executive Jensen Huang, according to the agency.
The talks were also driven by increasing criticism from legislators, who claim the Secretary is not adequately managing the export of American technology to China. Members from both parties are seeking clarification on why Mr. Lutnick’s division did not address gaps in export regulations and why it hasn’t revised the U.S. trade blacklist since October 2025. Suggestions had earlier been put forward to include the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, memory chip producer CXMT, and more than a hundred other Chinese firms on that roster.
Additionally, legislators have expressed concerns about how the government oversaw shipments that included Nvidia. Axios recently reported that Mr. Lutnick had delayed the execution of actions ordered by Donald Trump against firms believed to be reselling Nvidia chips to China. Last week, the U.S. President signed an order—for the third occasion—to sanction companies engaged in the illegal provision of sophisticated microchips.
The Wall Street Journal shared that several of the U.S. President’s senior advisors have started attributing responsibility for the Nvidia controversy to Mr. Lutnick. In reaction to these reports, the White House remarked that Donald Trump “has complete faith in the Secretary and his capability to perform his responsibilities as the most progressive Secretary of Commerce in recent history,” the publication observes.
source: reuters.com, wsj.com
