Trump Demands Prompt Resignation of Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan

As tensions rise with China, U.S. President Donald Trump asserted on Thursday that Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan should step down, alleging conflicting interests.

“The CEO of INTEL is highly CONFLICTED and must resign, at once. There is no alternative to resolving this matter. Thank you for addressing this issue!” Trump stated on his social media platform, Truth Social.

Trump did not offer any evidence or detailed explanations regarding Tan’s purported conflicts of interest.

This declaration from Trump comes after a letter from Republican Senator Tom Cotton on Wednesday, directed at Intel’s board of directors, questioning Tan’s potential ties to China, his investments there, and voicing concerns about his tenure at Cadence Design Systems, which catered to a Chinese military university.

Since becoming CEO in March, Tan has focused on boosting efficiency at the chipmaker, which has lagged behind rivals such as Nvidia and AMD in the AI chip domain. He has enacted layoffs, postponed plans for new manufacturing facilities, and is looking to divest non-core subsidiaries to concentrate the company on engineering.

It is important to mention that Intel was pivotal in the Biden administration’s CHIPS Act, pledging almost $8 billion to build manufacturing and packaging plants in Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio, and Oregon.

Intel has not yet provided a response to a request for comments.