President Trump had initially intended to send National Guard troops into San Francisco as part of a planned “surge,” but ultimately decided against it after being persuaded by several prominent figures, according to a post he shared on Truth Social on Thursday. The post mentioned that Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff were among the tech leaders who reached out to him and influenced his decision.
San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie confirmed in a statement that the military operation was considered but later canceled, though he did not specify who had spoken with the President.
Benioff’s role in the situation stands out. Earlier this month, just before Salesforce hosted its major tech event in its hometown of San Francisco, Benioff—who grew up in the city—publicly expressed support for Trump and suggested that National Guard troops should be deployed to patrol the city’s streets. This statement prompted venture capitalist Ron Conway to step down from his long-held position on Salesforce’s philanthropic board and publicly criticize both Benioff’s remarks and Benioff himself.
Benioff soon issued an apology and retracted his earlier call for National Guard patrols. “After hosting the largest and safest Dreamforce event we’ve ever had, I no longer think the National Guard is necessary to ensure safety in San Francisco,” Benioff wrote in a post on X earlier this month. It seems that Benioff not only reversed his stance but also personally advocated for this position to the White House.
Mayor Lurie is scheduled to speak at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco next week. We may learn more then about how the city—at the heart of the AI industry—has worked to improve public safety and defuse tensions.



