Trump Targets San Francisco for National Guard Deployment Amid Legal Setbacks
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced San Francisco as the next potential target for his federal crime crackdown, telling officials at a White House event that he would “strongly recommend” deploying National Guard troops to the city. Trump’s comments came during a meeting with FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi, where he described San Francisco as “one of our great cities 10 years ago, 15 years ago” that is now “a mess”.
Background on Federal Deployments
Trump has already deployed National Guard troops to several Democrat-led cities as part of his expanded federal intervention strategy, including Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Chicago, Portland, and Memphis. The deployments have drawn significant legal challenges, with federal judges blocking or restricting several attempts.
In September, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that Trump’s administration violated the Posse Comitatus Act when it deployed military forces to combat crime in California. The law restricts military involvement in domestic law enforcement, and Breyer found the administration “willfully violated” this statute by using military personnel to manage crowds and support federal agents during immigration operations.
San Francisco’s Response
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie pushed back against the suggestion, asserting during a press conference at the police academy that crime rates have decreased and that federal intervention is unnecessary. The potential deployment would likely face fierce opposition in San Francisco, a historic hub for counterculture and prominent Democratic figures including California Governor Gavin Newsom, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
The city has maintained sanctuary policies since 1989, which bar police from asking about immigration status and holding people in custody for federal agents. San Francisco has been actively litigating against Trump administration efforts to withhold federal funding from sanctuary jurisdictions, with U.S. District Judge William Orrick issuing multiple injunctions blocking the administration from cutting off funds to more than 30 cities and counties.
Tech Industry Support
Trump’s comments followed remarks by Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, who told the New York Times that Trump should send the National Guard to his native San Francisco. “We don’t have enough police officers, so if they can serve as law enforcement, I fully support it,” Benioff stated in the interview, which tech billionaire Elon Musk shared on X, adding that “downtown SF is a drug zombie apocalypse”. Benioff later attempted to clarify his stance by commending the city’s public safety advancements via social media.
Concurrent Federal Actions
The announcement came on the same day that U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco ordered the Trump administration to halt mass layoffs of approximately 4,100 federal workers during the ongoing government shutdown. Judge Illston, appointed by Democratic former President Bill Clinton, referenced public remarks by Trump and White House Budget Director Russell Vought during the hearing, arguing they revealed clear political intentions behind the layoffs, including Trump’s assertion that the cuts would target “Democrat agencies”.
“You cannot do that in a country governed by laws. We have laws here, and the actions being described are not permissible under the law.”
— Judge Susan Illston
The judge agreed with unions that the administration was improperly leveraging the government funding lapse to pursue its agenda of reducing the federal workforce. The shutdown had entered its 15th day as of Wednesday, with more than 10,000 federal employees potentially facing job losses according to Vought’s comments on “The Charlie Kirk Show”.
“Judge halts Trump’s planned layoffs of federal workers.” 2025. CNN, October 15, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/15/politics/federal-worker-layoffs-shutdown-judge-unlawful.
“US judge blocks Trump’s plan to lay off thousands of.” 2025. Reuters, October 15, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/world/us-judge-says-she-will-likely-block-trumps-mass-layoffs-during-government-2025-10-15/.
“US judge blocks Trump from using troops to fight crime in.” 2025. Reuters, September 2, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-judge-blocks-trump-using-troops-fight-crime-california-2025-09-03/.
“San Francisco sues Trump over sanctuary city threats.” 2025. Axios, February 7, 2025. https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2025/02/07/trump-sanctuary-city-lawsuit-sf.
“Gov Newsom says Trump is sending California National.” 2025. Al Jazeera, October 5, 2025. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/5/gov-newsom-says-trump-is-sending-california-national-guard-troops-to-oregon.
“Judge blocks Trump from withholding funds from Los.” 2025. Reuters, August 22, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/judge-blocks-trump-withholding-funds-los-angeles-other-sanctuary-cities-2025-08-23/.
“Judge temporarily blocks Trump’s firing of federal workers.” 2025. PBS NewsHour, October 15, 2025. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/judge-temporarily-blocks-trumps-firing-of-federal-workers-during-shutdown.
“Trump Floats San Francisco as Next Target For Crime Crackdown.” 2025. Bloomberg, October 15, 2025. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-15/trump-floats-san-francisco-as-next-target-for-crime-crackdown.
“Trump says San Francisco could be next target for anti-crime push.” 2025. USA Today, October 15, 2025. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/10/15/donald-trump-san-francisco-national-guard-chicago-portland/86711401007/.