In a letter to staff, Tan said Chipzilla was “engaging” with the Trump administration to ensure it had the “facts” about his past career.

“There has been a lot of misinformation circulating about my past roles… I want to be absolutely clear: Over 40+ years in the industry, I’ve built relationships around the world and across our diverse ecosystem and I have always operated within the highest legal and ethical standards,” Tan wrote.

The reassurance came just hours after Trump’s Truth Social blast. He gave no details of the alleged conflicts, but his comments followed a letter from Senate intelligence committee boss Tom Cotton to Chipzilla’s chair raising concerns about “the security and integrity” of its operations and Tan’s links to China.

Tan has poured venture capital into Chinese tech firms via his San Francisco outfit and Hong Kong companies. Past investments include Semiconductor Manufacturing International, China’s largest chipmaker. Before taking over at Chipzilla earlier this year, Tan ran Cadence Design Systems, which last week admitted breaching US export controls by flogging chip design tools to a Chinese military-linked university.

Since stepping into the top job, Tan has kicked off a sweeping cost-cutting drive and last month warned that without a major customer, Intel might have to abandon its next-generation manufacturing technology.

In his letter, Tan insisted the board was “fully supportive” of “the work we are doing to transform our company”.

He said: “The United States has been my home for more than 40 years. I love this country and am profoundly grateful for the opportunities it has given me. I also love this company.”