Salesforce's Marc Benioff apologises for backing Donald Trump’s National Guard plan in San Francisco
His apology comes a week after the comments, which was followed by massive backlash, with hundreds of people slamming his views. Local allies and government officials had also criticised his comments.
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has apologised for calling on US President Donald Trump to send the National Guard to San Fransisco.
His apology comes a week after the comments, which was followed by massive backlash, with hundreds of people slamming his views. Local allies and government officials had also criticised his comments.
Taking to X on Friday, Benioff backed away from his earlier stance, saying that the National Guard was not needed in San Fransisco.
“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,” he wrote.
The Salesforce co-founder has been facing backlash after an article by The New York Times interviewing him came to the limelight. In the interview, Benioff said he “fully” supported Donald Trump and that National Guard troops should be deployed to San Francisco.
“My earlier comment came from an abundance of caution around the event, and I sincerely apologize for the concern it caused. It’s my firm belief that our city makes the most progress when we all work together in a spirit of partnership. I remain deeply grateful to Mayor Lurie, SFPD, and all our partners, and am fully committed to a safer, stronger San Francisco,” the Salesforce boss wrote in his post.
Why did Marc Benioff apologise?
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, long seen as a Democratic ally, has been facing criticism over his remarks that the National Guard should be deployed in San Fransisco.
In the interview with NYT, Benioff said that he supported such a move, adding that San Francisco’s police force needed 1,000 more officers and hoping that the National Guard could fill those posts.
“If they can be cops, I’m all for it,” he said.
His comments came after President Donald Trump floated San Francisco as a potential target for National Guard deployments as part of his federal crime crackdown.
Trump has moved to deploy US troops and federal law enforcement officials to major cities — including Los Angeles, Washington, Memphis, Chicago and Portland — to target crime and counter demonstrations against his deportations of undocumented migrants.
Benioff's comments were met with backlash from local allies and government officials.
Venture capitalist Ron Conway resigned from the board of Salesforce over his comments.
“It saddens me immensely to say that with your recent comments, and failure to understand their impact, I now barely recognize the person I have so long admired,” Conway said in an email to Benioff and several board members of San Francisco-based Salesforce, Bloomberg reported.