The US government's 9.9% stake in Intel, bought for $8.9 billion in August 2025, is now worth roughly $41.5 billion after the stock's run to $95.80. President Trump touted the unrealized $32.6 billion gain on Truth Social, while Fundstrat's Tom Lee separately named Intel a long-term beneficiary of automation and the AI buildout.
Intel closed at $95.80 on September 4, 2026, up from about $20 when the US government first bought in. President Donald Trump celebrated the move on Truth Social, posting an AI-generated image and stating the administration had earned "hundreds of billions" from stocks and holdings under his administration.
An $8.9 billion bet turns into $41.5 billion
The government acquired a 9.9% stake in Intel in August 2025, paying $8.9 billion at roughly $20.47 per share. That 433.3 million-share position is now worth approximately $41.5 billion, a 368% gain in about 13 months. That leaves taxpayers with an unrealized profit of about $32.6 billion. Earlier in 2026, Trump had separately claimed gains of $60 billion to $70 billion tied to attracting chip-production partners to the US.
Intel's recovery has been fueled by new foundry partnerships, progress on advanced manufacturing nodes, and demand from AI infrastructure buildouts. The government stake itself likely signaled to other investors that Washington viewed Intel as too strategically important to fail.
Political risk shadows the trade
A sitting president publicly touting the stock of a company his government owns nearly 10% of creates an obvious tension, since presidential posts about specific stocks can move markets. There is also no easy exit: the government's 433.3 million shares cannot be sold into the market without cratering the price, so any divestiture would likely need a structured block sale or a gradual program spanning months or years. For now, the gains remain entirely on paper.
Analysts point to a longer runway
Fundstrat managing partner Tom Lee has separately named Intel a structural beneficiary of automation and AI infrastructure demand, framing it as a long-term play rather than a near-term trade. Intel's new CEO has emphasized memory architectures as a focal point of the company's strategic reset. A July 2026 report from McKinsey, SEMI, and the National Science Foundation projected a US skilled semiconductor workforce shortfall of 127,000 to 157,000 positions by 2030, with 74% of the unfilled roles concentrated in manufacturing — the function Intel's Ohio expansion depends on most.
Intel is still managing a manufacturing turnaround, a competitive repositioning against TSMC and AMD, and a leadership transition, each carrying its own execution risk.
Sources: Crypto Briefing, Crypto Briefing
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