Donald Trump’s directive that the federal government acquire a substantial stake in microchip-maker Intel has shaken some on the right, worried that the president is ditching long-sacrosanct Republican economic views.
The GOP for decades has billed itself as the party of free markets, accusing Democrats of favoring direct government interaction in the private sector. But under Trump’s second administration, that charge has steadily been getting harder to make.
Trump earlier this year flew to Pittsburgh to celebrate what he referred to as a deal he was heavily involved in inking that gave the federal government a “golden share” in U.S. Steel as it merged with Japan’s Nippon. Then, last month, the president announced he had decided the government should take a 10 percent share in Intel.
