Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has apologized for calling on US President Donald Trump to send the National Guard to San Francisco.
His apology comes a week after the comments sparked a massive backlash, with hundreds of people criticizing his views. Local allies and government officials also criticized his comments.
Benioff, who went to the X on Friday, backtracked on his earlier stance, saying the National Guard was not needed in San Francisco.
“After listening carefully to my San Francisco colleagues and our local officials, and after the largest and safest Dreamforce in our history, I do not believe the National Guard is needed to handle security in San Francisco,” he wrote.
The Salesforce co-founder faced backlash after The New York Times article that interviewed him came into the spotlight. In the interview, Benioff said he “fully” supports Donald Trump and that National Guard troops should be deployed to San Francisco.
“My earlier comment came out of an abundance of caution regarding this event, and I sincerely apologize for the concern it has caused. I strongly believe that our city will make the most progress when we all work together in a spirit of partnership. I remain deeply grateful to Mayor Lurie, the SFPD and all of our partners, and I am fully committed to a safer and stronger San Francisco,” the Salesforce chief wrote in his post.
Why did Marc Benioff apologize?
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, long considered a Democratic ally, has faced criticism for his comments that the National Guard should be deployed in San Francisco.
In an interview with the NYT, Benioff said he supports such a move, adding that the San Francisco Police Department needs 1,000 more officers and hopes the National Guard could fill those positions.
“If there can be police officers, I’m all for it,” he said.
His comments came after President Donald Trump identified San Francisco as a potential target for the deployment of the National Guard as part of his federal crackdown on crime.
Trump has decided to deploy US troops and federal law enforcement officials to major cities — including Los Angeles, Washington, Memphis, Chicago and Portland — to target crime and fight protests 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 Salesforce’s board over his comments.
“I am extremely saddened to say that with your recent comments and inability to understand their impact, I now barely recognize the person I have admired for so long,” Conway said in an email to Benioff and several board members at San Francisco-based Salesforce, Bloomberg reported.
