On October 16, 2025, U.S. President Trump stated on Wednesday, October 15, that he may send the National Guard to San Francisco.
During a White House press conference with FBI Director Kash Patel and other officials, Trump mentioned that he is contemplating the deployment of the National Guard to San Francisco. He described the city as being in a state of chaos, with unnamed officials requesting federal forces to be sent there.
“I strongly suggest, at the request of government officials, that it would be a good idea to focus on San Francisco. I believe we can fix San Francisco, which was one of our best cities 10 or 15 years ago but is now a mess,” said Trump.
“We received a lot of support in San Francisco, so I suggest incorporating this city, perhaps arranging it for your next deployment,” Trump continued, addressing FBI Director Patel.
In response, Governor Gavin Newsom’s spokeswoman, Diana Crofts-Pelayo, stated that California rejects any troop deployment and referenced the government shutdown and the President’s efforts to ensure military pay.
She said, “California neither needs nor wants the National Guard to maintain public safety. In our state, we will take care of our communities.”
Earlier that day, Governor Newsom mentioned that the crime rate in San Francisco has decreased, with the murder rate hitting a new 70-year low.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s spokesman, Charles Lutvak, responded by quoting the mayor’s previous statements that public safety in San Francisco has improved. The mayor said, “I am fully aware of these challenges, we have a lot of work to do, and I trust our local law enforcement.”
Lurie stated to the media during a visit to the San Francisco Police Academy on Wednesday morning that they are closely collaborating with state and federal law enforcement agencies to combat various street crimes, including drugs, ensuring the safety of San Francisco.
Currently, San Francisco still faces a shortage of 500 police officers, with police often working overtime to meet public safety needs.
In recent weeks, some tech billionaires have started urging Trump to deploy the National Guard to San Francisco. Tesla CEO Elon Musk also called for federal intervention in managing the city’s crime issues.
Musk wrote on X this week, “This is the only solution at present, other methods are not effective and won’t work.”
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff expressed his full support for Trump’s decision to deploy troops to San Francisco to combat crime. “We don’t have enough police, so if they can act as police, I totally support that,” Benioff said.
Benioff has long supported various Democratic initiatives.
If Trump proceeds with this plan, San Francisco will become the second city in California to have the National Guard deployed, following Los Angeles.
In recent months, Trump has already deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Portland (Oregon), and Memphis (Tennessee), assisting local law enforcement in addressing crime issues.
However, these deployments have sparked legal controversies, with some local officials in lawsuits accusing federal deployment actions of violating the will of local governments.
Currently, California has filed a lawsuit regarding the National Guard deployment in Los Angeles, with a district court ruling federal actions as illegal but a subsequent appeals court temporarily halting the decision. The deployment in Chicago has also been stopped by a federal judge, and an Oregon federal judge extended two interim restraining orders on Wednesday to prevent the government from sending the National Guard to Portland to maintain security.
(This article referenced reports from “USA Today” and “Politico”)