Donald Trump endorsed this stock and the market reacted

There is not a publicly traded company in America quite like this one right now. It is the only stock where the President of the United States logs onto social media to congratulate the country on its returns.

That happened on April 30. And the market responded the same way it has every time the White House has weighed in this year: the stock moved higher, immediately.

What Trump posted on Truth Social

"Intel Stock continues to rise. I'm very proud of that Company in that I am responsible for making the United States of America over 30 Billion Dollars in the last 90 days on that stock alone," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on April 30.

"There are others that, likewise, I have been very successful with by taking pieces of the Equity for support. Congratulations to Intel on doing such a great job and, more importantly, congratulations to the People of the United States for making such a good investment!"

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Intel shares jumped roughly 3% after hours following the post, according to Stocktwits. The broader semiconductor sector also got a lift as traders read Trump's comments as further confirmation that Washington's strategic backing of domestic chip manufacturing remains in place.

How the U.S. government ended up owning Intel stock

The story behind Trump's post starts in August 2025. The Trump administration announced that the U.S. government had acquired a 10% stake in Intel, purchasing 433.3 million shares at $20.47 per share for a total of approximately $8.9 billion, according to Benzinga.

The funding came from two sources: $5.7 billion from the CHIPS and Science Act and $3.2 billion from secure semiconductor initiatives.

At the time, Intel was in the middle of one of the most difficult stretches in its history. The company had been losing ground to rivals, cutting costs aggressively, and trying to convince investors that its manufacturing turnaround under new CEO Lip-Bu Tan was real.

The government's entry as a 10% shareholder gave Intel immediate capital and a powerful public signal that Washington was betting on its recovery.

Trump previously described the arrangement as a "great Deal for America." Sen. Bernie Sanders backed the move too, arguing that "taxpayers have a right to a reasonable return on that investment,".

Not everyone agreed. Sen. Rand Paul called it "a terrible idea" and "a step toward socialism,"Benzinga noted.

The $30 billion gain in 90 days: what the math shows

Trump's claim of $30 billion in gains in 90 days is grounded in real numbers. Intel closed at $94.75 on April 30, up 12.06% on the day, according to Benzinga. At that price, the government's 433.3 million shares are worth more than $41 billion. The unrealized gain from the $8.9 billion purchase price exceeds $32 billion.

These are paper gains. The government has not sold any shares. But the scale of the appreciation is real and the 90-day figure Trump cited aligns with the sharp acceleration in Intel's stock that began in early February 2026, Benzinga noted.

Intel's stock has now surged roughly 100% in April alone and more than 140% year-to-date, making it one of the strongest performers among major U.S. technology names in 2026, according to Stocktwits. Over the past 12 months, Intel has gained nearly 366%.

Key figures behind Intel's rally and the government's stake:

- U.S. government stake in Intel: 10%, acquired in August 2025, 433.3 million shares at $20.47 per share for $8.9 billion, according to Benzinga

- Funding sources: $5.7 billion from the CHIPS and Science Act, $3.2 billion from secure semiconductor initiatives, Benzinga confirmed

- Intel closing price on April 30: $94.75, up 12.06%, Benzinga noted

- Current value of government stake: more than $41 billion, representing an unrealized gain exceeding $30 billion, Benzinga confirmed

- Intel stock performance in April 2026: up approximately 100%, according to Stocktwits

- Intel year-to-date performance: up more than 140%, Stocktwits noted

- Intel 12-month performance: up nearly 366%, Stocktwits confirmed

- Intel Q1 2026 revenue: $13.6 billion, up 7% year-over-year, beating Wall Street estimates by approximately 9%, according to Stocktwits

- Intel Data Center and AI revenue: $5.05 billion, up 22% year-over-year, Stocktwits noted

- INTCafter-hours move following Trump's Truth Social post: up approximately 3%, Stocktwits confirmed

What is actually driving Intel's business recovery

Trump's endorsement adds political fuel to a rally that has real business fundamentals beneath it. Intel's Q1 2026 results, reported April 23, showed revenue of $13.6 billion, up 7% year-over-year and approximately 9% above Wall Street estimates. The Data Center and AI segment grew 22% to $5.05 billion, reflecting the structural shift in CPU demand driven by agentic AI workloads.

CEO Lip-Bu Tan has been direct about what is driving the next phase. "The next wave of AI will bring intelligence closer to the end user," he said, pointing to growing demand for CPUs and advanced packaging in inference and edge computing, according to Stocktwits. Intel is positioning itself as a primary beneficiary of that shift, not just in cloud servers but across edge computing where the next generation of AI inference will run.

The HSBC upgrade to Buy with a $95 price target and Morgan Stanley's Overweight revision to $73 both followed the Q1 results and reflect analysts pricing in a longer-duration earnings recovery than they had previously modeled. The government's 10% stake gives Intel a backstop that most chipmakers lack: the political and financial backing of the U.S. government itself.

What investors should think about Intel from here

Intel is now trading as something no other major chip company has been: part turnaround stock, part policy asset. Trump's Truth Social post is a reminder that the stock can move on presidential commentary as readily as it moves on earnings guidance. That adds a layer of volatility that investors in more conventional chip names do not have to manage.

The government's gains are real but unrealized. Nothing has been sold. If Intel's business momentum continues, the paper gains grow. If the turnaround falters or the political backing shifts, the stock could reprice sharply in either direction.

What the April 30 post confirms is that the Trump administration views its Intel stake as a visible success story it intends to keep promoting. For investors, that means the stock has an unusual tailwind: a president who is financially and politically invested in seeing Intel's price stay high, and who is not shy about saying so publicly.

Related: Bank of America resets Intel stock price target after earnings

This story was originally published by TheStreet on May 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Investing section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.