San Francisco Politicians Reject Trump's National Guard Threat

Wed Oct 22 2025 10:55:32 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Amidst President Trump's insistence on deploying National Guard troops to San Francisco over crime concerns, city leaders assert that the city is safe and on the rebound, touting declining crime rates and community resilience.

President Trump has threatened to send National Guard troops to San Francisco, calling for federal assistance due to crime. Local leaders, however, dispute his claims, citing a drop in crime and positive changes in the city. San Francisco's Mayor, Daniel Lurie, maintains the city is safe and assured residents that they can manage local issues without federal intervention. State officials, including Governor Gavin Newsom, have also promised to challenge any such deployment legally.

SAN FRANCISCO (RTW News) — President Donald Trump has been vocal about his intention to send National Guard troops to San Francisco, labeling the city as crime-ridden and suggesting that residents are urgently seeking federal support. However, local leaders and the community firmly dispute Trump's views, emphasizing a significant reduction in crime rates and a revitalized image for the city post-pandemic.

“This is a safe American city,” declared Mayor Daniel Lurie in a recent interview. “We are capable of handling our issues here in San Francisco.”

Trump attributes his desire to deploy the National Guard to the city of over 830,000 to concerns over escalating crime, following similar actions taken in places he controls directly, such as Washington, D.C., and Memphis, where local leaders were reportedly supportive of such measures. San Francisco’s residents expressed confusion and concern regarding the President's assertions.

Comments made by the President in a recent Fox News interview suggested that San Francisco has dramatically changed for the worse over the last 15 years. Such characterizations led to frustration among residents like Kate Freudenberger, who noted, “I’ve been walking around the city, and it’s peaceful. There’s no insurrection here.”

Despite some crime-related challenges still present in neighborhoods like the Tenderloin, overall crime has reportedly decreased by more than 26% this year compared to the same timeframe last year. There is also an encouraging trend of increased office visits and public transit ridership, indicating a resurgence in city life.

On a corporate level, Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, previously mentioned welcoming guard troops to address crime during a major business conference, only to later clarify that the event was the safest in its history.

As San Francisco emerges from pandemic-induced struggles, city leaders remain focused on collaboration and indigenous solutions. Mayor Lurie argues that the National Guard lacks the lawful authority to directly tackle local drug issues and that sending them would not resolve ongoing drug problems efficiently.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has firmly indicated he will combat any federal deployment of troops within San Francisco. His administration has pledged to challenge such actions swiftly in court. Activists and concerned citizens alike fear that any move to deploy troops could sow chaos within the community.