President Donald Trump took a victory lap Thursday over the government's investment in Intel Corp. (INTC), claiming the stake has already made "tens of billions of dollars" for American taxpayers. Intel shares climbed in extended trading following his comments.

In a social media post, Trump said he'd just wrapped up a "great meeting with the very successful Intel CEO, Lip-Bu Tan." He went on to praise the company's latest technological breakthrough.

"Intel just launched the first SUB 2 NANOMETER CPU PROCESSOR designed, built, and packaged right here in the U.S.A.," Trump wrote.

Then came the financial boast: "The United States Government is proud to be a Shareholder of Intel, and has already made, through its U.S.A. ownership position, Tens of Billions of Dollars for the American People — IN JUST FOUR MONTHS. We made a GREAT Deal, and so did Intel. Our Country is determined to bring leading edge Chip Manufacturing back to America, and that is exactly what is happening!!!"

How We Got Here

The relationship between Trump and Intel hasn't always been this rosy. Back in early August 2025, Trump publicly demanded Lip-Bu Tan's resignation, calling him "highly conflicted" because of his venture capital investments in Chinese technology companies.

Then came the pivot. After a high-stakes White House meeting, Trump completely reversed course and announced a historic agreement: the U.S. government would take a 9.9% equity stake in Intel in exchange for $8.9 billion in funding.

The money came largely from grants previously authorized under the CHIPS Act, converted into an ownership position. Trump framed it as a win for taxpayers, ensuring the government got equity rather than just handing out grants.

INTC Price Action: Intel shares were up 1.78% at $41.84 in Thursday's extended trading.