Donald Trump has called for the resignation of Intel chief executive Lip-Bu Tan, the new head of the semiconductor company, over an alleged “conflict of interest” in a recent post on Truth Social on Thursday.

The former US president said in the post: “The CEO of INTEL is highly CONFLICTED and must resign, immediately. There is no other solution to this problem.”

This comes days after Republican senator Tom Cotton wrote to Intel’s board chair Frank Yeary to say he had a “concern about the security and integrity of Intel’s operations” following the appointment of Tan as the new CEO, whom Cotton described as “a prolific Chinese investor.”

The letter said, “Mr Tan has a long history of investing in and leading Chinese technology companies. This extensive involvement with China raises questions about his ability to lead the US’s most important advanced chipmaker.”

Tan is a Silicon Valley stalwart who has, over the past decade, expanded a semiconductor design and venture capital firm to locations around the world. A significant portion of that portfolio has been funneled from his San Francisco and Hong Kong-based investment firm into Chinese technology companies. In 2015, Tan’s venture capital firm invested in China’s biggest chipmaker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC).

Tan has also been in the spotlight over his time as CEO of California-based Cadence Design Systems, a maker of software used to design computer chips. Last week, Cadence acknowledged that it had violated US export controls after the sale of its design tools to a Chinese university that has links to China’s military.

In a statement at the time, the company said the violation was “unintentional” and “related to design tools sold to the Chinese University of Hong Kong.”

Analysts and investors are also questioning whether Tan, a Singaporean national, can be trusted to lead Intel given his ties to Chinese companies. The company’s shares dropped 3 percent in pre-market trading in New York on Thursday, as they continued to process the news.

Tan’s predecessor, Pat Gelsinger, was unceremoniously ousted as CEO by the company’s board in December. Tan replaced him in March after a swift two-month search process that culminated in a boardroom vote in favor of Tan over Gelsinger.

Tan, 62, is taking the helm of the Silicon Valley stalwart at a moment of tremendous upheaval for the company, which in recent years has struggled to match the chipmaking prowess of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer.

Intel, America’s only remaining leading-edge semiconductor manufacturer, has missed out on much of the artificial intelligence chip revolution that has swept the industry. AI chips are now widely seen as the battleground in the global chip race.

The company has since been awarded billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies and loans as part of Washington’s effort to help rebuild a domestic semiconductor industry and wean the country off its dependence on chip companies outside of America, many of which are in Taiwan and South Korea.

Intel has continued to trail TSMC in advanced chipmaking, and the stakes for Tan are high as he aims to turn around the company.

Intel CEO Must Step Down Immediately, Trump Demands

Tan has also warned that Intel’s advanced manufacturing technology development could be derailed unless it has a “significant external customer.”

If Intel does not have a customer willing to pay to support this, the company may be forced to halt its development of its next-generation chip manufacturing, Tan said in July.

If Intel ceases to develop cutting-edge chips, it will leave TSMC as the world’s only leader in the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing, a development with dire implications for the semiconductor industry, geopolitics, and the US military.

Tan, who last week unveiled an aggressive cost-cutting and efficiency drive, is now under fire from a Republican senator over his alleged conflict of interest, raising questions over his ability to lead Intel at a time when its share price has been hit and pressure on him is growing.

In his letter, Cotton wrote, “Intel is required to be a responsible steward of American taxpayer dollars and to comply with applicable security regulations.” He went on to say, “Mr Tan’s associations raise questions about Intel’s ability to fulfill these obligations.”

Intel and the White House declined to comment on Trump’s post.

Intel’s CEO Was Just Called to Resign. Here’s Why

Intel declined to comment on Trump’s demands, and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Intel shares fell about 3 percent in pre-market trading on Thursday morning after Trump’s post.

The board of Intel, a California-based chipmaker, appointed Tan as the new CEO last month after firing Gelsinger in December. Tan, who has been with the company since 2018, has been with the firm for over 30 years.

Tan will now lead Intel at a time when the company is facing competition from TSMC, the world’s largest chipmaker. Intel has also been in the news recently for a report that its chips were being used in China’s artificial intelligence projects.

Intel, a chipmaker based in California, is one of the largest manufacturers of computer chips in the world. It is headquartered in Santa Clara and was founded in 1968.

Intel has been the subject of much scrutiny in recent months for its alleged ties to China and for its plans to move some of its manufacturing to China. The company has also come under fire from Republican Senator Tom Cotton for its alleged connections to China.

Sen. Tom Cotton Demands Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan Step Down

In a letter sent to Intel’s board on Wednesday, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) demanded that the company’s new CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, step down.

The letter, which was obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation, reads in part:

Intel is required to be a responsible steward of American taxpayer dollars and to comply with applicable security regulations. Mr Tan’s associations raise questions about Intel’s ability to fulfill these obligations.”

In the letter, Cotton also raised concerns about Tan’s history with China, noting that he had “close ties to the Chinese military and intelligence services.”

Intel has not responded to requests for comment on Cotton’s letter.