SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said that he had a phone call with President Donald Trump Wednesday night in which the president said he was calling off any plans for federal deployment to the city. The mayor said he had a follow-up conversation with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in which she reiterated the president’s direction.
“Late last night, I received a phone call from the President of the United States. I told him the same thing I told our residents: San Francisco is on the rise,” Lurie said in a statement Thursday. “Visitors are coming back, buildings are getting leased and purchased, and workers are coming back to the office. We have work to do, and we would welcome continued partnerships with the FBI, DEA, ATF, and U.S. Attorney to get drugs and drug dealers off our streets, but having the military and militarized immigration enforcement in our city will hinder our recovery.”
“In that conversation, the president told me clearly that he was calling off any plans for a federal deployment in San Francisco,” Lurie continued. “Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem reaffirmed that direction in our conversation this morning.”
On Thursday, President Trump confirmed he’d spoken to the mayor in a lengthy post on Truth Social.
“The Federal Government was preparing to “surge” San Francisco, California, on Saturday, but friends of mine who live in the area called last night to ask me not to go forward with the surge in [sic] that the Mayor, Daniel Lurie, was making substantial progress,” Trump said. “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.”
“I told him that 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,” Trump continued. “I told him, ‘It’s an easier process if we do it, faster, stronger, and safer but, let’s see how you do?'”
Trump went on to say that “the people of San Francisco have come together” in taking on crime and said that “great people” like Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff had called him to say “the future of San Francisco is great.”
“They want to give it a ‘shot,'” Trump concluded. “Therefore, we will not surge San Francisco on Saturday. Stay tuned!”
City and state leaders had been bracing for a possible federal deployment to San Francisco since Benioff said he would welcome the National Guard in the city in an Oct. 10 interview with The New York Times. Benioff’s comments appeared to put SF in Trump’s crosshairs, with the president telling Fox News, “We’re going to go to San Francisco next,” over the weekend.
On Wednesday, Mayor Lurie said the city was prepared in the event that federal forces did arrive in the city and that SF City Attorney David Chiu was prepared to take legal action.
“It is my sincere hope that we never have to put any of our planning into action,” Lurie said Wednesday.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) issued a statement Thursday, praising Mayor Lurie’s leadership.
“Mayor Daniel Lurie has demonstrated exceptional leadership in his steadfast commitment to the safety and well-being of San Franciscans,” said Pelosi. “In his handling of a potential federal deployment in our City that resulted in the President calling off the operation, Mayor Lurie has underscored that public safety must be driven by local priorities, respectful of our values and communities.”
It is not yet clear what impact, if any, Mayor Lurie’s conversation with the president will have on the deployment of federal agents to Coast Guard Island in Alameda that is already underway.
Read Mayor Lurie’s full statement regarding his phone call with President Trump below:
“Yesterday, I spoke to San Franciscans about a potential federal deployment in our city. I said then what I have said since taking office, that keeping San Franciscans safe is my top priority.
“Late last night, I received a phone call from the President of the United States. I told him the same thing I told our residents: San Francisco is on the rise. Visitors are coming back, buildings are getting leased and purchased, and workers are coming back to the office. We have work to do, and we would welcome continued partnerships with the FBI, DEA, ATF, and U.S. Attorney to get drugs and drug dealers off our streets, but having the military and militarized immigration enforcement in our city will hinder our recovery. We appreciate that the president understands that we are the global hub for technology, and when San Francisco is strong, our country is strong.
“In that conversation, the president told me clearly that he was calling off any plans for a federal deployment in San Francisco. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem reaffirmed that direction in our conversation this morning.
“My team will continue to monitor the situation closely, and our city remains prepared for any scenario.
“I am profoundly grateful to all the San Franciscans who came together over the last several days. Our city leaders have been united behind the goal of public safety. And our values have been on full display—this is the best of our city.”
Mayor Lurie’s comments come as protesters are assembled outside the Coast Guard base across the Bay in Alameda, where over 100 federal agents are due to arrive Thursday.
Mayor Lurie said he would be delivering public remarks regarding the unfolding situation at noon on Thursday.
