President Trump made the right call this weekend: the United States will not export Nvidia’s most advanced Blackwell chips to China, keeping the cutting edge of AI where it belongs — in American hands. He made those remarks on CBS’ 60 Minutes and again to reporters aboard Air Force One, making clear that national security and technological leadership are non-negotiable priorities for his administration. This is the kind of decisive leadership our country needs if we intend to remain the world’s dominant power in innovation.
The president hasn’t closed the door on commerce entirely; he’s signaled willingness to allow downgraded or limited deals for lesser chips while refusing to surrender the crown jewels of AI hardware. Trump has even discussed negotiating terms with Nvidia’s CEO and pushed for revenue-sharing arrangements for exports, insisting on strict performance throttles for any chips that might be sent abroad. That tough-minded pragmatism — trade when it benefits America, restrictions when it doesn’t — is the opposite of the weak globalist approach that would hand our advantage to geopolitical rivals.
Experts have been warning for months that even a so-called “downgraded” Blackwell variant could erase the gap between U.S. and Chinese AI capabilities if Beijing acquired them in volume. Those sober analyses show that allowances masquerading as compromise can quickly become strategic capitulation, turning America’s lead into a hollow victory for corporate profits at the expense of national security. We should listen to those experts rather than Silicon Valley lobbyists who treat national defense like just another balance sheet entry.
Nvidia’s CEO has pushed to return to the Chinese market, arguing dependency on U.S. chips keeps Chinese developers tethered to American tech, but the ultimate decision rests with the president and his national-security advisers. Mr. Trump has been unambiguous that he won’t authorize full-strength Blackwell exports, and reports show the topic wasn’t even raised in private talks between the U.S. and Chinese leaders during recent summits. That restraint is healthy; we do not need to let Beijing cannibalize decades of American investment and ingenuity for short-term corporate gain.
Remember the context: the U.S. has been tightening export controls since 2022 to prevent advanced semiconductors from arming potential adversaries, and those rules exist for a reason. Previous steps to limit shipments of A100 and H100 chips reflected bipartisan concern that unrestricted sales would embolden rival militaries and surveillance states. Any administration that treats those safeguards as bargaining chips is risking the safety and prosperity of every American.
Patriots should applaud a policy that favors American workers, innovators, and national security over the bottom line of multinational corporations eager to chase every foreign market. If Nvidia or any company wants access to lucrative foreign markets, they must do so on terms that protect American supremacy in the technologies of tomorrow. President Trump’s insistence on tough limits — and even negotiating financial concessions for strategic exports — is exactly the muscular, America-first approach we need.
Congress and the American people must back this stance and ensure our laws and export regime reflect a clear national priority: keep our most potent technologies in American hands. Letting China obtain unrestricted access to Blackwell-class processors would be a strategic blunder with consequences that will last generations. It’s time to stop apologizing for American strength and start defending it — for the sake of our economy, our military, and our children’s future.
