Former U.S. President Trump Claims He Saved Intel Early in His Administration

Summary

On February 21, 2026, former U.S. President Donald Trump claimed he “saved Intel” early in his administration, reiterating his focus on domestic semiconductor manufacturing. This follows government actions including acquiring a 10% equity stake in Intel and pledging nearly $9 billion in funding as part of an “America First” policy.Simplywall Despite this support and a subsequent stock surge, Intel’s foundry business reported a $2.5 billion loss in Q4 2025 and has yet to secure an external customer, facing a critical window to win major orders by 2026-2027.Wallstreetcn While some customers like Nvidia plan to shift partial production to Intel by 2028, analysts remain cautious, with some valuation models suggesting the stock is overvalued.Wallstreetcn+ 3

Impact Analysis

Trump’s comment is pure political signaling, reminding everyone that Intel is now a national champion stock. But it completely sidesteps the real issue: the foundry is hemorrhaging cash, posting a $2.5B loss in Q4 2025 with no external customers yet.Wallstreetcn The government’s 10% stake and funding promises are a powerful backstop, which is why the stock has rallied despite terrible fundamentals and a ‘Reduce’ consensus.Simplywall+ 2

This isn’t a tech story right now; it’s a political one. The valuation is completely detached from reality—DCF models suggest it’s grossly overvalued.Simplywall The entire bull case hinges on them landing a major foundry customer for their 18A process by 2027.Wallstreetcn Until then, the stock is trading on a government-backed narrative. This makes it a compelling short candidate on any strength, as failure to execute will pop this political bubble. The risk is all concentrated on that execution deadline.