President Trump just called off plans to deploy National Guard troops to San Francisco after direct lobbying from tech heavyweights Jensen Huang and Marc Benioff. The reversal hands Mayor Daniel Lurie a major political victory and underscores Silicon Valley's continued influence in Washington, even as the city grapples with ongoing challenges around crime and business recovery.
The most powerful tech executives in Silicon Valley just flexed their political muscle in Washington. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Salesforce chief Marc Benioff personally convinced President Trump to abandon plans for a National Guard "surge" into San Francisco, delivering a stunning reversal that showcases the tech industry's enduring influence over federal policy.
Trump announced the about-face on Truth Social, writing that "great people like Jensen Huang, Marc Benioff, and others have called saying that the future of San Francisco is great." The admission reveals how quickly tech titans can reshape White House decisions when they unite behind a cause.
The intervention hands Democratic Mayor Daniel Lurie his biggest political win since taking office. "The president told me clearly that he was calling off any plans for a federal deployment in San Francisco," Lurie said in a statement, with Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem confirming the decision directly.
But the story behind Benioff's involvement gets messier. Just days earlier, the Salesforce founder had publicly supported Trump's deployment plans in an interview with The New York Times, earning backing from Tesla chief Elon Musk and Trump adviser David Sacks. Facing intense criticism from fellow San Franciscans, Benioff quickly reversed course on X, declaring that "after the largest and safest Dreamforce in our history, I do not believe the National Guard is needed."
The tech executives' successful lobbying comes as San Francisco mounts an impressive data-driven defense of its recovery. Crime rates have plummeted 30% from 2024 levels, while homicides hit their lowest point in seven decades. Car break-ins, long a symbol of the city's struggles, haven't been this low in 22 years according to municipal statistics.
More telling is the economic momentum building beneath these crime statistics. CBRE data shows venture funding in 2025 is expected to surpass the record set in 2021, driven largely by AI investments flooding Silicon Valley. Event bookings and tourism are surging, residential real estate is tightening, and the office market is heating up - all signs of a city capitalizing on the AI boom.
