Marc Benioff, the tech billionaire and CEO of Salesforce, recently urged President Trump to send the National Guard to San Francisco. In an interview with The New York Times, Benioff expressed his strong endorsement of the president’s policies.
In the interview published on Friday, Benioff addressed the need for enhanced federal law enforcement presence in light of the upcoming Dreamforce conference taking place in the city.
According to Benioff, “We don’t have enough police officers, so if [the National Guard] can take on those roles, I’m fully supportive of it,” he stated while on his private jet.
He revealed that he has to finance hundreds of off-duty police officers to safeguard the convention area during Dreamforce, emphasizing that the city needs to “refund” the police, as reported by The Times.
The San Francisco Police Department currently operates with approximately 1,500 officers, a number Benioff believes should be nearly doubled.
“When you stroll through San Francisco next week, you’ll see police on every corner,” he predicted. “That’s how it used to be.”
Throughout the nearly hour-long conversation, Benioff continually praised President Trump.
“I fully support the president,” he declared. “I think he’s doing a great job.”
Benioff and Trump have become allies in recent months, with Trump inviting the CEO of Time Magazine to a state dinner at Windsor Castle last month.
During the dinner, Benioff recounted how he had told Trump, “I’m so grateful for everything you’re doing,” according to The Times.
Having donated over $1 billion to various charities and initiatives in the Bay Area over the past 25 years, Benioff asserted, “I don’t think anyone has hired more people, contributed more money, or supported San Francisco better than I have.”
However, his remarks triggered backlash from several local politicians who opposed his call for the National Guard’s deployment in San Francisco.
San Francisco Supervisor Myrna Melgar expressed her surprise at Benioff’s request, stating, “It’s particularly disheartening coming from Marc Benioff. This view is clearly out of step with what most San Franciscans desire.”
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins critiqued Benioff’s comments more vehemently in a series of social media posts.
“I can no longer remain silent,” Jenkins wrote on X on Friday. “@KristiNoem and @realDonaldTrump have turned public safety and immigration enforcement into a form of government-sanctioned violence against U.S. citizens and communities.”
“Let me be clear. If you come to San Francisco and unlawfully harass our residents or engage in excessive force, I will ensure you are held accountable, just as I do with any other violators daily,” Jenkins concluded in her message.
In the past, President Trump has tasked the National Guard to assist law enforcement in cities such as Los Angeles, Memphis, and most recently Chicago, during the rollout of initiatives like “Operation Midway Blitz.”
