Marc Benioff, the co-founder and CEO of Salesforce, has walked back his previous comments calling for the National Guard to patrol San Francisco. He stated that after listening to fellow San Franciscans and local officials, and following the successful and safe execution of the Dreamforce event, he no longer believes the National Guard is necessary to address safety in the city. Benioff apologized for the concern caused by his earlier remarks, which he said came from an abundance of caution for the event.
Benioff originally stirred controversy last week in an interview with The New York Times where he expressed support for President Donald Trump’s threats to deploy National Guard troops in San Francisco and other cities led by Democratic politicians. While his comments were apparently prompted by concerns over public safety costs for the Dreamforce conference, the previously liberal-leaning billionaire also used the interview to embrace Trump, stating he fully supports the president and believes Trump is doing a great job. At the end of the interview, he reportedly asked his public relations person if his comments were too spicy.
Although Benioff’s pro-Trump stance appears to align with a larger rightward shift among some tech executives, his call for the National Guard led to immediate pushback from longtime allies and Democratic politicians. Prominent venture capitalist Ron Conway stepped down from the board of the Salesforce Foundation, telling Benioff in an email that he barely recognizes the person he has long admired. A scheduled event featuring Benioff and San Francisco Mayor Dan Lurie was also canceled, with organizers citing rain.
State Senator Scott Wiener, who represents San Francisco, expressed gratitude that Benioff walked back his call for the National Guard. He acknowledged that Benioff has done many good things for the city and supported many civic needs, and he was glad to see this shift.
President Trump has already deployed the National Guard in other cities including Washington, DC and Chicago, while a judge has thus far blocked his attempts to do the same in Portland. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, has repeatedly described the deployment in his state as an invasion.