Industry expert Patrick Moorhead, founder of Moor Insights & Strategy, said he thought Trump was using the controversy over Mr Tan’s ties to China to put pressure on Intel over some other issue. He pointed to potential disputes about Intel’s investments in the US and reports of a possible partnership with Taiwanese firm TSMC backed by the White House.
“It’s apparent to me that there was some negotiation amongst the two that Trump didn’t like,” he said. “Trump probably saw, ‘Ok, I’ve got an opportunity to turn up the heat with Intel on this’.”
Trump is known for targeting business leaders with public criticism to a degree unheard of with other presidents. But, even by his standards, the demand that the leader of a private company resign is extraordinary.
Mr Moorhead said other tech executives who had found themselves in Trump’s crosshairs had come up with ways to “kiss the ring”, pointing to promises from firms such as Apple and OpenAI to make large investments in the US.
“Intel probably misread the room on how important it was to get in and be visible with the White House,” he said.
Responding to critics who said Trump had gone too far, the White House told the BBC: “President Trump remains fully committed to safeguarding our country’s national and economic security. This includes ensuring that iconic American companies in cutting-edge sectors are led by men and women who Americans can trust.”
Mr Tan’s ties to China had been spotlighted in a 2024 congressional report examining links between US investment firms and Chinese businesses.
They were also the subject of a Reuters investigation in April, which found that he had invested at least $200 in hundreds of Chinese companies, some of which are linked to the Chinese military. The investments were made either personally or though his funds between 2012 and December 2024.
Republican Senator Bernie Moreno, a Trump ally, took up the attack on Mr Tan on Thursday, criticising Intel for delays in its plans for chip manufacturing in the US.
But the clash with Trump could add to the challenges the firm, along with US chip manufacturing, currently faces.
“Intel has been a hope for America to build out more chip capacity and has struggled to do so to date,” said Janet Egan, senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. “It’s important that we get continuity of leadership to support that ramping up of capacity.”