Rep. Thomas Massie strongly criticized Donald Trump after the president claimed he secured a 10 percent ownership stake in Intel for the U.S.government in exchange for federal help, which reignited their disagreement about the government’s role in private businesses, a topic that has split some conservative groups.
Thomas Massie calls out Donald Trump
Massie criticized Trump’s comments in a social media post, saying that Republicans would have reacted very differently if a Democratic president had made a similar move.
“Imagine if [Joe] Biden or [Barack] Obama had bragged about taking over 10% of a private company,” Massie wrote on social media while sharing a clip of Trump’s statement.
“Where are the supposed defenders of free markets like @club4rowth or @Heritage or @freedomcaucus?” he added.
Donald Trump’s investment in Intel
The criticism came after Trump spoke about the agreement during a short press meeting, explaining how he negotiated the government’s share in the semiconductor company.
“And then I got, as a gift—another gift—I said to Intel, ‘Give the United States of…’ — they needed something, they needed some help — the chip maker.
I said, ‘Give the United States of America—I’ll do it for you — but give the United States of America 10 percent of your company.’ He said, ‘You have a deal.’ He said it so fast, I said, ‘I should have asked for more.’ But he said, ‘You have a deal.’ And that stake is now worth $80 billion.I made $80 billion for the country in eight months. Does anybody talk about it? No,” Trump complained.
He first announced the government’s ownership stake in Intel — a move that also drew criticism from some conservatives—in August 2025.
Criticism from Republicans
Sen.
Rand Paul responded to the announcement by saying, “If socialism is government owning the means of production, wouldn’t the government owning part of Intel be a step toward socialism? Terrible idea.”
Conservative columnist David Harsanyi also criticized the move, writing, “Surely if former President Joe Biden had ‘invested’ in a major energy concern under the power of, say, a climate emergency, Republicans would have melted down over ‘socialism.’”
The latest criticism comes amid Trump’s ongoing political conflict with Massie, whom the president opposed during his reelection campaign.
Trump endorsed Massie’s Republican primary challenger, who ultimately defeated the Kentucky congressman.
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