Faced with concerns about his ties to Chinese companies, Trump asked Intel CEO to resign

Donald Trump publicly called for the resignation of Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan. He made the call on his Truth Social account, where he assured that the businessman "is in a very conflicted situation." The post came days after Senator Tom Cotton questioned Tan's ties to China. Intel is the largest chipmaker in the United States.

As reported by Reuters earlier this year, Tan had investments in hundreds of Chinese technology companies, at least eight of which had ties to the Chinese government.

"Reuters' review found that Tan controls more than 40 Chinese companies and funds as well as minority stakes in over 600 via investment firms he manages or owns. In many instances, he shares minority stake ownership with Chinese government entities," the media outlet noted.

Previously, Tan was CEO of Cadence, a company that pleaded guilty and paid more than 140 million dollars in penalties for illegally exporting technology to a Chinese military university during his tenure.

In this context, Trump called for the businessman's resignation on his social network. "The CEO of INTEL is highly CONFLICTED and must resign, immediately. There is no other solution to this problem. Thank you for your attention to this problem!" he wrote.

"Mr. Tan's associations raise questions about Intel's ability to meet these obligations"

Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) wrote a letter to Intel Corporation's chairman of the board, Frank Yeary, in which he made clear his concerns about Tan's investments.

"In March 2025, Intel appointed Lip-Bu Tan as its new CEO. Mr. Tan reportedly controls dozens of Chinese companies and has a stake in hundreds of Chinese advanced-manufacturing and chip firms. At least eight of these companies reportedly have ties to the Chinese People's Liberation Army," the Arkansas Republican remarked.

"Intel was awarded nearly $8 billion from the CHIPS and Science Act, the largest grant to a single company. Intel is required to be a responsible steward of American taxpayer dollars and to comply with applicable security regulations. Mr. Tan's associations raise questions about Intel's ability to fulfill these obligations," he continued.

In addition, Cotton raised several questions about the current Intel China CEO's relationships, demanding answers by August 15.