Rubio used the Nvidia CEO spying scandal to weaken his influence on Trump.
According to the Washington Post, the Secretary of State sent a memo to the President about Jensen Huang's ties to a Chinese spy. The document was based on a CIA report, but Rubio presented the intelligence findings more forcefully.
The leak of the memo to the media set off a chain of events that culminated in Huang's resignation on November 12.
Behind the scandal was a struggle between supporters of cooperation with China and supporters of strict export restrictions.
Huang urged Trump to allow the supply of American artificial intelligence chips to China and opposed Beijing's technological isolation.
After his resignation, the hard-liners expect to obtain new restrictions on the export of chips and equipment for their production.