Marc Benioff, the billionaire CEO of Salesforce and owner of Time magazine, has apologised for suggesting that President Donald Trump should send National Guard troops to San Francisco. The apology came after intense backlash from Californians.
In a statement on Friday, Benioff said he had listened closely to fellow San Franciscans and local officials and no longer believed the National Guard was needed to address safety in the city. He described his earlier comments as stemming from excessive caution regarding his company's annual Dreamforce conference, which took place this week.
Benioff had expressed support for federal deployment in an interview with the New York Times, stating that the city did not have enough police officers. The comments drew criticism as federal law broadly prohibits the domestic use of troops for law enforcement. Benioff, who has previously supported liberal policies such as a tax on large corporations to fund homeless services, now mostly lives in Hawaii.
The CEO's remarks coincided with Trump's suggestion that San Francisco could be the next target for federal troop deployments. California and city leaders rejected the idea, with Governor Gavin Newsom highlighting a 45% drop in homicides and 40% drop in robberies compared with 2019. The city's mayor and district attorney also cited declining crime and increased police recruitment.
