Massie rips Trump after Intel “10 percent” brag

Massie slams – Rep. Thomas Massie accused President Donald Trump of “shaking down” a private company after Trump boasted that Intel agreed to give the U.S. a 10 percent stake in exchange for help. Massie questioned why free-market conservatives have stayed silent, after Trum

Rep. Thomas Massie didn’t wait for the political talking points. He went straight to the clip.

This week. Massie slammed President Donald Trump after Trump bragged about forcing Intel to give the federal government a 10 percent stake in return for a bailout. Massie posted a message on social media that framed the deal in blunt. personal terms: “Imagine if Biden or Obama had bragged about shaking down a private company for 10% public ownership.”.

Then Massie did what he’s known for among hardline free-market supporters: he pointed at silence. “Where are the supposed stalwarts of free markets like @club4rowth or @Heritage or @freedomcaucus?” Massie wrote. listing off prominent right-leaning groups that often warn against government intrusion into private industry.

The argument hinges on what Trump said in a Wednesday clip, where he described the negotiation as fast and decisive. Trump said he told Intel. “Give the United States of… they needed something. they needed some help. the chip maker.” Trump then added: “I said. ‘Give the U.S. of America’ — I’ll do it for you — ‘but give the U.S. of America 10 percent of your company.’”.

Trump recalled the response and the moment he thought he could have demanded more. “He said, ‘You have a deal.’ He said it so fast, I said, ‘I should have asked for more.’”

In that same exchange, Trump claimed the stake has since surged in value. “And that stake is now worth $80 billion. I made $80 billion for the country in eight months.” He ended the boast with a dismissive flourish: “Does anybody talk about it?. No. Have a good time. Have a good flight. Enjoy the plane.”.

Massie’s central grievance is not just the size of the stake, but the idea that a private company was pressured into giving up ownership for government support.

Trump’s language comes after he previously announced the government would take over part of Intel in August 2025. a move that already drew anger among conservatives at the time. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) responded then as he did now, calling the concept an ideological break. Paul said. “If socialism is government owning the means of production. wouldn’t the government owning part of Intel be a step toward socialism?. Terrible idea.”.

The fight also surfaced beyond Capitol Hill. In a column. The Washington Examiner’s David Harsanyi argued that Republicans would have reacted differently if the deal were tied to a different administration and a different policy justification. He wrote about the hypothetical “invested” scenario. saying. “Surely if former President Joe Biden had ‘invested’ in a major energy concern under the power of. say. a climate emergency. Republicans would have melted down over ‘socialism.’”.

A closer look at the chain of events shows how the dispute is landing: Trump publicly touts government leverage over Intel in terms of speed and financial payoff. while conservatives who built their brand around free markets treat the same structure as a warning sign. Massie’s challenge—asking why certain groups are not answering—aims directly at that mismatch.

For all the ideological heat, the politics around Massie himself are part of the story too. Trump opposed Massie’s reelection and helped to push him out of Congress this summer by endorsing Massie’s GOP primary opponent. That opponent soundly went on to beat Massie.

With Massie no longer in Congress. his criticism now plays out from the outside—tied to Trump’s public boast. and centered on a question that’s harder to dodge than a policy talking point: if ownership is being demanded in exchange for a bailout. why isn’t the free-market crowd treating it like the ideological line it claims to defend?.

Thomas Massie Donald Trump Intel 10 percent stake bailout government ownership free markets Rand Paul GOP primary socialism August 2025