A hot potato: It appears that Donald Trump has had a change of heart about Intel boss Lip-Bu Tan. Days after calling for him to resign over his investments and ties to Chinese companies, the president has called Tan a "success" after a meeting with the CEO. The announcement pushed beleaguered Intel's share price up slightly, marking a rare piece of good news for Team Blue.
The situation began last week, when US Republican Senator Tom Cotton sent a letter to Intel's board of directors to express "concern about the security and integrity of Intel's operations and its potential impact on US national security."
Cotton was referencing the $200 million+ Tan and his VC firm have invested in Chinese advanced manufacturing and chip companies, some of which have ties to the Chinese military. However, none of the firms are on the US Treasury's Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies List, so no laws were broken.
A day later, Trump posted a message to his Truth Social network stating that Tan is "highly CONFLICTED and must resign, immediately. There is no other solution to this problem."
In a letter to Intel staff, Tan called the suspicion about his China dealings "misinformation." He also confirmed that the company was meeting with the Trump administration to discuss the matter.
According to unnamed sources, Tan explained his personal and professional background to Trump and proposed ways that Intel and the government could collaborate. Intel's CEO was born in Malaysia and raised in Singapore before moving to the US, where he received a master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
It seems that the meeting was a successful one. Trump confirmed that it included himself, Tan, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.
"The meeting was a very interesting one. His success and rise is an amazing story," Trump wrote. "Mr. Tan and my Cabinet members are going to spend time together, and bring suggestions to me during the next week. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
Intel posted a brief statement about the meeting, which it called a "candid and constructive discussion on Intel's commitment to strengthening US technology and manufacturing leadership."
"We appreciate the President's strong leadership to advance these critical priorities and look forward to working closely with him and his Administration as we restore this great American company," Intel added.
Intel's stock was up as much as 15% following Trump's endorsement of Tan. The company will be celebrating the rare good news after its credit rating was slashed to two steps above junk status by Fitch, and reports that its 18A process has been hit by low yields and quality issues, putting its manufacturing comeback in doubt.
Trump reverses course on Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan following White House meeting, boosting Intel stock
It's not like this didn't get him democratically elected again and will not cause the left to lose further seets in congress come the midterms. It's all on display. 
