Former U.S. President Donald Trump called on Intel’s new CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, to resign on Thursday, suggesting that the veteran chip executive was “highly conflicted.”

“CEO of INTEL is highly CONFLICTED and must resign, immediately. There is no other solution to this problem,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social network.

Tan, a semiconductor industry veteran who has deep business ties to China, was installed as Intel’s chief executive in March after the company’s board of directors voted to oust his predecessor, Pat Gelsinger.

The move came as Intel faces increasing competition from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and struggles to catch up with a boom in artificial intelligence chip demand.

Trump’s post did not explain why Tan should resign, but the former president’s comments followed a letter from Republican Senator Tom Cotton to Intel’s board chair, Frank Yeary, over “concern about the security and integrity of Intel’s operations.”

Cotton, in a letter released late Wednesday, also highlighted Tan’s extensive investments in Chinese technology companies and raised the prospect that they could pose national security risks. Tan has long been a prolific investor in Chinese technology firms through his San Francisco-based venture capital firm, as well as two Hong Kong-based companies. In the past, Tan has also invested in Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), China’s largest chipmaker.

The senator’s letter also flagged Tan’s previous position as CEO of Cadence Design Systems, a California-based provider of chip design software. In a disclosure to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday, Cadence admitted that it violated U.S. export controls last year after selling its chip design software to a Chinese university that works closely with China’s military.

Tan also recently warned that Intel may need a “significant external customer” to continue developing its next-generation chip manufacturing technology, after the company unveiled plans to cut costs and improve profitability.

Tan has vowed to move quickly to tackle Intel’s financial underperformance and is understood to have a more extensive track record in running cost-cutting operations than his immediate predecessor.

Trump’s call for Tan’s resignation marks a further escalation of growing pressure on Intel’s management as its stock price trades around its lowest level in four years. It is not clear what, if any, influence the former president’s opinion will have on Intel’s leadership, but the company said it had no comment on Trump’s post.

Intel also did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tan’s part on Trump’s post. The White House also declined to comment.

Tan’s appointment as Intel CEO comes at a critical time for the U.S. tech industry, which is increasingly reliant on foreign chipmakers. Intel, the world’s largest semiconductor company, has been at the center of this debate since it announced plans to close its manufacturing operations in the United States last year. Intel’s decision to exit the U.S. chipmaking business has raised concerns that it will leave the country vulnerable to Chinese technology espionage.

Intel has been one of the few U.S. companies to publicly voice support for Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on Chinese goods and has been one of the few tech companies to say it would not be affected by the tariffs. But it is not the only U.S. company to have concerns about Trump’s trade policies and the impact they could have on the U.S. economy.

In addition to the impact of the tariffs, Intel has also had to contend with a series of recent high-profile scandals. In July, the company was forced to recall millions of its Spectre processors after they were found to have been infected with malware. Last month, the company was embroiled in another scandal when it was revealed that it had been using a third-party software supplier to design its chips without Intel’s knowledge.

Intel has also faced increasing scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators in recent months as it has faced increasing criticism of its business practices. In June, the company was forced to pay $120 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by customers who claimed they had been overcharged for its microprocessors.

And in July, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched an investigation into Intel after a group of employees filed a complaint with the FTC claiming that the company was using its market dominance to suppress competition.

The FTC’s investigation is ongoing, but in the meantime, Intel is under pressure to show that it is taking steps to address these issues. It has done so by announcing a series of measures to improve its business practices, including hiring an independent auditor and creating a whistleblower hotline.