US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to outline the Trump administration’s push for a $1 trillion semiconductor investment aimed at strengthening national security and bringing chip manufacturing back to the US.
In a wide-ranging interview, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick clarified where the Trump administration stands on a range of issues – from Greenland to the importance of semiconductors and the administration’s recent investment in a major tech company.
Lutnick backed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s assertion that a potential takeover of Greenland is critical to national security, adding from the World Economic Forum podium that the White House will move forward despite the Arctic country’s reported hesitation.
“The president is coming to talk about it. He’s going to meet the European leaders. He’s going to talk to them. And I think they’ll figure it out. But he wants them at the table. He wants them to be serious… if you provoke the president, you’ll get a reaction.”
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“Right after World War II, it was America that protected the shipping lanes between Europe and the United States. If the Arctic opens up… what do you think will happen?” he continued. “We need those shipping lanes. You need to be protected. You can’t have Chinese ships or Russian ships coming through that strait. So America needs to protect it. It’s critical and part of our national security.”
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick speaks during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 20, 2026. (Getty Images)
In an effort to boost U.S. defense and economic competitiveness, Lutnick said the administration will increase support for domestic semiconductor chip production and has taken a roughly 10% equity stake in Intel under a federal investment plan tied to U.S. chipmaking incentives.
“We’re going to invest $1 trillion in semiconductors in America, get to 40% market share and at least be able to take care of ourselves,” Lutnick said.
‘Mornings with Maria’ host Maria Bartiromo interviews US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, about President Donald Trump’s plan to acquire Greenland, tariffs and US economic growth.
“If you don’t make chips, you can’t have robots, you can’t have drones, you can’t take care of yourself. So we have to produce semiconductor chips at home to protect ourselves,” he added.
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“Let’s go over Intel,” Lutnick switched gears. “The Biden administration had given Intel $10 billion to build semiconductors in America, which they were already doing… so we negotiated and said, OK, you can keep the money. That was already signed, sealed and delivered, and you give us 10% of the company’s share capital. Right? And now we can help them because we want Intel to be successful in America. It is important to us that we build semiconductors in America. And what happened: the shares have risen 3,540% since then.”
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to discuss President Donald Trump’s push to expand his $1 trillion EU trade deal, boost US technology investment and challenge Europe’s heavy-handed regulations.
Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan said the company remains committed to advancing U.S. technology and domestic semiconductor manufacturing. In a statement following the government’s investment, Tan said Intel appreciates the government’s confidence and looks forward to working with policymakers to strengthen the U.S. technology and manufacturing base.
