Writing on Truth Social, Trump revealed he had met Tan alongside commerce secretary Howard Lutnick and treasury secretary Howard Lutnick, calling it “a very interesting” discussion. He did not mention if Tan had bought his cheque book with him.

Trump, who previously claimed Tan was “highly conflicted” thanks to investments in hundreds of Chinese firms, many with alleged military links, now says the Intel boss’s “success and rise is an amazing story.”

He added that Tan and his cabinet members will work together and report back with suggestions next week.

The earlier demand for Tan’s resignation stemmed from a letter sent by Republican Senate intelligence committee chair Tom Cotton, who raised concerns about the “security and integrity of Intel’s operations” given Tan’s ties to China.

In a letter to Intel staff, Tan dismissed the chatter as misinformation, insisting he had “always operated within the highest legal and ethical standards.” He said Chipzilla was talking with the White House to make sure it had the facts.

Tan took over in March, inheriting a company haemorrhaging cash thanks to its floundering foundry business, which has failed to land big-name customers and continues to trail Taiwan Semiconductor.

Since then, he has launched sweeping cost-cutting measures, aiming to slash 22 per cent of the workforce by year-end. He also told investors Intel could scrap its next-gen manufacturing tech altogether if it fails to sign a major client.