Trump pauses National Guard deployment to San Francisco after calls with mayor and CEOs

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on Thursday, October 23, explained that he has postponed deploying National Guard troops to San Francisco after assurances from local leaders and prominent tech executives that the city is making strides in tackling crime.

“They’re doing a good job, so we are holding off that surge, everybody,” the president said.

Trump says San Francisco can be a 'great city again’

"Maybe you heard, we were going to do a big surge in San Francisco, but I got a great call from some incredible people, some friends — very successful people," Trump said, probably referring to several CEOs, during remarks at the White House.

“They said: 'We’re working really, really hard with the mayor, we are making progress. Would it be possible for you to hold off the surge?' And I had four or five calls, and I think they’re making progress of their own,” he added.

Trump described San Francisco as “a great, great city” that still had “the potential to be a great city again,” crediting local collaboration between Mayor Daniel Lurie and private industry for visible improvement.

Earlier in the day, Trump also posted on Truth Social that while the federal government had been preparing to “surge” San Francisco on Saturday, he had agreed to delay the operation after hearing directly from the mayor and several top business leaders.

“I spoke to Mayor Lurie last night and he asked, very nicely, that I give him a chance to see if he can turn it around,” Trump wrote.

“I told him I think he is making a mistake, because we can do it much faster, and remove the criminals that the law does not permit him to remove. But let’s see how you do,” he stated.

He mentioned that figures such as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Salesforce founder Marc Benioff had contacted him to say that “the future of San Francisco is great” and that they “want to give it a shot.”

Trump signals broader approach to urban crime

The president framed his administration’s intervention efforts in major US cities as a necessary measure to restore safety and order.

Federal agents or National Guard deployments have been used in limited surges in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Portland in recent months.

While the San Francisco deployment is on hold, the National Guard reportedly remains on standby should local efforts fail to meet federal benchmarks on crime reduction and public safety.

Trump emphasized that his administration remains ready to act at a moment’s notice if conditions worsen.

“If we need to move in, we’ll move in fast - stronger and safer. But right now, we’re letting them take their shot,” he said.

The decision comes as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who also spoke to reporters, confirmed that National Guard units across multiple states have been briefed on potential short-notice deployments linked to ongoing urban crime and border operations.