Amid rising tensions between the US and China, former President Trump has called for the resignation of Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan. Trump accused Tan of having ties to China, claiming that the CEO is involved in a serious conflict of interest and must immediately step down.
Trump made the statement on his social media platform, Truth Social, emphasizing that there is no alternative solution to this issue. However, he did not provide detailed reasons or concrete evidence to support the conflict of interest allegations against Tan.
Against this backdrop, Republican Senator Tom Cotton also sent a letter to Intel’s board of directors, demanding an investigation into Tan’s alleged ties to China. In his letter, Cotton raised questions about Tan’s investments in China and the cooperation between Cadence Design Systems—where Tan previously held a leadership role—and a Chinese military university. Cotton views this situation as a national security threat to the United States.
Lip-Bu Tan was appointed CEO of Intel in March 2025. Since then, he has taken strategic steps to help the company compete with rivals like Nvidia and AMD in the artificial intelligence sector. Under Tan’s leadership, Intel has reduced its workforce, canceled plans for a new manufacturing facility, and shifted its focus toward becoming a more engineering-driven company.
It is worth noting that during Joe Biden’s administration, Intel received an $8 billion subsidy under the CHIPS Act. However, the Trump administration later canceled this program along with a total of $52 billion in chip subsidies.
Lip-Bu Tan, a Malaysian-born Chinese American businessman, holds master’s degrees in nuclear engineering from MIT and business from the University of San Francisco. He is recognized as a prominent investor and executive in the semiconductor technology sector.
