Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff apologizes for saying National Guard troops needed in San Francisco

Marc Benioff, Salesforce co-founder and CEO, appeared to be walking back the comments, calling for the National Guard to patrol San Francisco.

“After hearing from my fellow San Franciscans and our local officials and the largest and safest Dreamforce in our history, I do not believe the National Guard is needed to address security in San Francisco,” Benioff said. In a post by X. “My previous comment came out of a great deal of caution around the event and I sincerely apologize for the concern it has caused.”

Benioff was embroiled in controversy last week after giving away An interview with the New York Times Of which he President Donald Trump announced his support for the threat Deploying National Guard troops to San Francisco and other cities led by Democratic politicians.

While Benioff’s comments were apparently prompted by his concerns about public safety spending at the company’s massive Dreamforce conference in San Francisco last week, the formerly liberal-leaning billionaire also used the interview to embrace Trump, at one point saying, “I fully support the president” and adding that Trump is “doing a great job.” (At the end of the interview, he asked his shocked PR person, “Too spicy?”)

And even though Benioff’s pro-Trump stance is seemingly aligned A larger rightward shift among tech executivesHis call for the National Guard to come to San Francisco quickly drew pushback from longtime allies and Democratic politicians. Prominent VC Ron Conway has resigned from the Salesforce Foundation’s board Conway reportedly told Benioff in an email“I scarcely now recognize the man whom I so long admired.”

An event scheduled to feature Benioff and San Francisco Mayor Dan Lurie was also canceled, with organizers citing rain.

State Senator Scott Wiener, who represents San Francisco, told Politico“I’m grateful that Mark has reversed his call to deploy the National Guard to San Francisco. Mark has done many good things for our city — and supported many civic needs — and I’m glad to see this change.”

Trump did The National Guard has already been deployed in other cities, including Washington, D.C. and Chicago, while a judge has so far blocked attempts to do the same in Portland. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, has repeated This is the description as an “invasion” of his state.