Marc Benioff, the CEO of Salesforce and a long-time Democrat megadonor and activist, has caved to leftist outrage, apologizing for his comments supporting President Donald Trump’s potential deployment of the National Guard to San Francisco.
CNBC reports that Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, has expressed his regret for suggesting that President Donald Trump should send the National Guard to San Francisco to address safety concerns. Benioff’s initial comments, made in an interview with the New York Times, sparked controversy and drew criticism from local politicians and leftist radicals.
“Having listened closely to my fellow San Franciscans and our local officials, and after the largest and safest Dreamforce in our history, I do not believe the National Guard is needed to address safety in San Francisco,” Benioff wrote in his apology post.
The Trump administration has recently deployed the National Guard to cities like Portland, Oregon, and Chicago, leading to protests, lawsuits, and the detention of citizens and immigrants without legal representation. Benioff’s apparent support for similar action in San Francisco was met with swift backlash.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and San Francisco politicians issued statements and held press conferences to emphasize that federal troops are not welcome in the city and that crime rates are declining. Prominent startup investor Ron Conway, who has backed companies like Google, Airbnb, and Stripe, resigned from the board of the Salesforce Foundation on Thursday, citing a misalignment of values with Benioff.
Conway, a longtime Democratic donor and member of VCs for Kamala, had donated around $500,000 to at least two funds tied to Kamala Harris’ unsuccessful 2024 presidential campaign. While Benioff has supported Democrats in the past, including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Kamala Harris, his recent comments led some to speculate about a potential shift in his political alignment.
David Sacks, Trump’s AI and crypto czar and a longtime friend of Elon Musk, suggested that Benioff could join the Republican party, stating, “Dear Marc @Benioff, if the Democrats don’t want you, we would be happy for you to join our team. Cancel culture is over, and we are the inclusive party.”
Following Benioff’s initial comments, Elon Musk and other right-wing figures amplified the message, with Musk characterizing downtown San Francisco as a “drug zombie apocalypse.” President Trump also weighed in, calling San Francisco “a mess” and suggesting the possibility of sending in the National Guard.
In response to the growing controversy, Benioff attempted to walk back his comments on X, stating that safety is “first and foremost, the responsibility of our city and state leaders.” However, the damage had already been done, and the CEO faced mounting pressure to address the issue more directly.
Benioff’s apology on Friday aimed to clarify his stance and reaffirm his commitment to working with local leaders to address safety concerns in San Francisco. “My earlier comment came from an abundance of caution around the event, and I sincerely apologize for the concern it caused,” he wrote. “It’s my firm belief that our city makes the most progress when we all work together in a spirit of partnership.”
Read more at CNBC here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
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