In Washington, D.C.— On Monday, President Donald Trump met with Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan at the White House. This was a big deal because the president had been publicly attacking the tech leader for days. Trump wrote on social media after the meeting said it was “very interesting” and that his Cabinet members will keep meeting with Tan over the next week to give him ideas.
The president’s comments were very different from what he usually says. Just four days before, Trump had told Tan to quit on his Truth Social platform, saying that his business links to China made him “highly CONFLICTED.” The first post was made because Republican Senator Tom Cotton asked Intel’s board to look into Tan’s investments in Chinese semiconductor companies and other companies with ties to the military.
Intel said in a statement that the conversation with Trump was “honest and helpful.” The business said that the two talked about Intel’s “commitment to strengthening U.S. technology and manufacturing leadership.” Intel also thanked the president for his “strong leadership to advance these critical priorities” and said it looked forward to working closely with his administration.
Lip-Bu Tan had contacted the White House to clear up what he called “misinformation” about his past and to put any worries to rest. He had also said before that Intel’s board fully supported him.
Intel’s stock was up more than 2% in the extended session after Trump said something nice about the company on social media on Monday. This made up for some of the losses from August 7, the day the president first spoke out, when the stock fell by 3.1%. The meeting between Trump and Tan could mean that the White House and a significant stakeholder in the U.S. tech industry are starting to get along better.