San Francisco opposes ‘authoritarian crackdown’ as Trump threatens to send troops | San Francisco
Donald Trump threatened an unnecessary and unwelcome deployment of local and state officials on Wednesday, suggesting San Francisco could be the next city he targets with federal troops.
Speaking to FBI director Kash Patel at the White House, the president said: “At the request of government officials, I would strongly recommend… that you start looking at San Francisco… 10 years ago, 15 years ago it was one of our great cities, and now it’s a complete mess… Every American deserves to live in a community where they don’t have to fear being attacked, killed, robbed, raped, assaulted, or shot.”
Just like the federal deployments in Portland, Chicago, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles earlier this year, Democratic leaders in San Francisco and California have not called for the kind of crackdown Trump has pushed based on false and exaggerated claims of out-of-control crimes.
San Francisco, the hometown of California governor Gavin Newsom, has been expecting for months that the Bay Area city might be in the president’s crosshairs. Trump has long complained about the city. saying He said his opponent, Kamala Harris, “destroyed” it during last year’s campaign and that the city went from being “the best city” to being “unlivable.”
Trump is increasingly invested in sending national guard troops to cities run by Democrats. long-standing federal law This broadly prohibits the domestic use of U.S. troops to enforce criminal laws. The deployment of troops in Chicago and Los Angeles coincided with aggressive and at times violent immigration raids and led to mass protests that were met with a strong show of force by law enforcement.
A White House spokesman declined to comment on potential plans for San Francisco, citing the president’s remarks.
Leaders in San Francisco and California have said they oppose Trump’s intervention and have tried to make the case that there is no crime or violence crisis that requires outside help or military intervention.
State Senator Scott Wiener in question In a statement released Wednesday, the city “neither needs nor wants Trump’s personal army on our streets.”
“Contrary to Trump’s lie, no ‘government official’ here has requested a federal occupation. We do not need Trump’s authoritarian oppression in our city. Bottom line: Stay away from San Francisco,” the Democrat said.
San Francisco public defender Mano Raju said in an email that his office “condemns any attempt to deploy military force against the residents of our city,” noting that courts have already ruled against the president deploying the national guard.
“Using armed force against civilians is an abuse of power and a misuse of public resources. Our communities are strong, organized, and deeply committed to peaceful civic engagement in the face of injustice, and we will continue to stand with residents who legally and peacefully exercise their rights,” Raju said.
Newsom’s office said Wednesday that overall violent crime in California’s major cities is down 12.5% in 2025 compared to last year, and is down 22% in San Francisco. The governor added that from 2019 to 2025, the city has seen a 45% decrease in murders and a 40% decrease in robberies.
The city is on track to have its lowest number of homicides in more than 70 years, according to a recent report San Francisco Chronicle analysis.
Newsom also said his administration recently expanded “crime suppression teams” in the San Francisco area and that state officials are assisting local agencies with a variety of operations.
Adopting an anti-Trump social media trolling strategy, the governor posted footage of Trump saying San Francisco was great 15 years ago: responds: “Why, thank you!” Newsom was mayor from 2004 to 2010.
Current Mayor Daniel Lurie touted crime reductions, increased police hiring and partnerships with state and federal agencies to fight drug trafficking in a speech to the San Francisco sheriff and district attorney early Wednesday (Chronicle) reported.
“We have a lot of work to do, but I have confidence in our local law enforcement,” the mayor said, according to the newspaper. District attorney Brooke Jenkins said San Francisco sought federal help when it needed it, but local leaders “kept it under control.”
His claims come days after Salesforce’s billionaire CEO Marc Benioff said: was in favor Trump’s comment that he would send national guard troops to San Francisco sparked intense reactions.
Immigrant rights advocates said they were prepared for the possible arrival of troops or increased enforcement efforts.
Amanda Maya, asylum program director for the San Francisco Bay Area Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, a nonprofit organization, said rapid response networks advocating for immigrant communities in the region are confident they have adequate capacity to respond to a possible increase in detentions.
“My biggest concern is that this creates an environment of fear for everyone, not just the undocumented,” he said of the potential deployment of troops. “People will be afraid to leave their homes, to go to work, to access basic services.” He said his clients already avoid going to hospitals or going to the police to report crimes because of concerns about immigration authorities.
Reminding that lawyers continue to organize “know your rights” trainings and that immigrants should seek their right to remain silent if they are detained, refrain from signing documents and ensure that they are in contact with lawyers, Maya added: “We are definitely preparing.”
Maya argued that it was especially “wasteful and irresponsible” to consider sending in troops at a time when the federal government is shut down, leading to cuts to critical services: “It’s so unnecessary.”
