Donald Trump has been meddling with Intel, which now apparently includes mulling "the possibility of the US government taking a financial stake in the troubled chip maker," the Wall Street Journal reported. Trump and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan weighed the option during a meeting on Monday at the White House, people familiar with the matter told WSJ. These talks have only just begun—with Intel branding them a rumor—and sources told the WSJ that Trump has yet to iron out how the potential arrangement might work. The WSJ's report comes after Trump called for Tan to "resign immediately" last week. Trump's demand was seemingly spurred by a letter that Republican senator Tom Cotton sent to Intel, accusing Tan of having "concerning" ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Cotton accused Tan of controlling "dozens of Chinese companies" and holding a stake in "hundreds of Chinese advanced-manufacturing and chip firms," at least eight of which "reportedly have ties to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army." Further, before joining Intel, Tan was CEO of Cadence Design Systems, which recently "pleaded guilty to illegally selling its products to a Chinese military university and transferring its technology to an associated Chinese semiconductor company without obtaining license." "These illegal activities occurred under Mr. Tan’s tenure," Cotton pointed out. He demanded answers by August 15 from Intel on whether they weighed Tan's alleged Cadence conflicts of interest against the company's requirements to comply with US national security laws after accepting $8 billion in CHIPS Act funding—the largest granted during Joe Biden's term. The senator also asked Intel if Tan was required to make any divestments to meet CHIPS Act obligations and if Tan has ever disclosed any ties to the Chinese government to the US government. Neither Intel nor Cotton's office responded to Ars' request to comment on the letter or confirm whether Intel has responded.