Salesforce CEO apologises for saying Trump should send troops to San Francisco

October 18, 2025

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff apologized after facing significant backlash for suggesting President Trump should deploy National Guard troops to San Francisco ahead of the company's Dreamforce conference. The controversy led to cancelled appearances at the conference by San Francisco's mayor and other notable figures, with venture capitalist Ron Conway resigning from the Salesforce Foundation board. Benioff's apology came amid broader context of the Trump administration's controversial National Guard deployments to Democratic-led cities, including ongoing legal battles over a proposed deployment in Chicago.

Who is affected

San Francisco residents
Salesforce employees and conference attendees
Marc Benioff and his public reputation
The Salesforce Foundation
Local politicians, including Mayor Daniel Lurie and Governor Gavin Newsom
Venture capitalist Ron Conway, who resigned from the foundation's board
Comedians and speakers who cancelled appearances at Dreamforce

What action is being taken

Marc Benioff is publicly apologizing for his National Guard comments
The Trump administration is pursuing legal challenges to deploy National Guard troops in various cities
Trump is appealing to the Supreme Court to overturn lower court rulings blocking National Guard deployment in Chicago
The National Guard has already been deployed to Portland, Los Angeles, Washington, and parts of Tennessee
Salesforce is reportedly pitching its services to the Trump administration for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Why it matters

The incident highlights tensions between tech leaders and local politics
It represents a potential shift in Benioff's political positioning after years of supporting Democratic causes
The controversy impacted Salesforce's annual Dreamforce conference, a major corporate event
The situation occurs against the backdrop of President Trump's controversial use of National Guard in Democratic-led cities
It reveals potential business considerations driving political stances of tech leaders, as suggested by Silicon Valley publicist Sylvia Paull

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC