Story perspectives

Trump Team Buys Intel Stake, GOP Calls Equity Push Socialism

7/24/2026

Summary

Trump Buys Intel

U.S. President Donald Trump’s team bought a 10 percent Intel stake that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says is worth five times its cost.
The administration announced equity deals with two dozen firms across sectors from rare earths to energy, leading Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Joe Scarborough (R-Fla.) to call it “ACTUAL communism/socialism” and demand privatization.
The administration said equity stakes act faster, citing Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund’s delay and cancellation.

Summary

Sanders Pushes AI

Congressional leaders are urged to oversee government share-holding votes with the same rigor applied to regulatory actions.
Proponents argue that public equity in AI firms would let board members block exploitative AI, enforce ethical guardrails, and force data-center operators to shift from natural-gas to renewable-energy power.
The plan, citing the 1932-57 Reconstruction Finance Corporation, is framed by Senator Sanders as a tool to shore up democracy.

History

Historical Context

1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Tennessee Valley Authority, a federal corporation that took equity in regional power plants, received $1 billion in capital and owned over 30 dams by 1937. The New Deal’s Reconstruction Finance Corporation later faced congressional scrutiny, showing how federal stakes can reshape industries. The Trump administration’s 10 percent Intel purchase and planned AI equity echo that model to boost climate goals.

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Trump Buys Intel

U.S. President Donald Trump’s team bought a 10 percent Intel stake that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says is worth five times its cost.
The administration announced equity deals with two dozen firms across sectors from rare earths to energy, leading Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Joe Scarborough (R-Fla.) to call it “ACTUAL communism/socialism” and demand privatization.
The administration said equity stakes act faster, citing Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund’s delay and cancellation.

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