President Donald Trump continued to portray San Francisco as a hotbed of crime over the weekend, again suggesting in a Fox News interview that he planned to send federal troops to the city by the bay.
“I think they want us in San Francisco,” Trump told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures.” “San Francisco was truly one of the greatest cities in the world, but fifteen years ago things went wrong. It woke up.”
All month, Trump has toyed with the idea of sending troops to San Francisco, calling the city a “mess.” But on Sunday, Trump reiterated his desire to send troops to the city and loudly floated the idea of using the Insurrection Act on Democratic-majority cities.
“I could use the Insurrection Act,” Trump said. “That is undisputed power. I chose not to do this, I prefer to do this.”
Under current law, the U.S. military is prohibited from enforcing civil law in the United States. However, the Insurrection Act gives the president the authority to use the military against American citizens to suppress rebellion or domestic violence.
Trump’s comments came a day after millions of people protested across the country as part of the more than 2,700 “No Kings” demonstrations held Saturday.
It is unclear whether plans have been made for deployment to the Northern California city. A White House spokesperson did not respond to questions specifically about plans for troops in San Francisco.
Trump sent National Guard troops to respond to protests in Los Angeles earlier this year, and has also sent troops to Washington, D.C., Memphis, Portland and Chicago. The protests have largely been a response to federal immigration raids that have resulted in arrests by masked officers on the streets, near businesses and in courthouses.
So far, Trump has deployed troops in Democratic-run cities, which he says are “unsafe cities.” According to figures, crime rates in San Francisco have dropped over the past year police crime data.
But Trump’s use of troops has sparked opposition and protests from residents and local officials.
In Chicago, U.S. District Judge April Perry accused Trump administration lawyers of exaggerating their claims of violence and attempting to “equate protests with riots.”
Trump’s lawyers asked the Supreme Court on Friday to intervene so the administration can continue sending troops to Chicago.
The White House released a statement Monday defending the general use of troops in American cities, noting a drop in crime in Washington, D.C., after troops were deployed there.
“The president’s actions in DC have been tremendously successful, with even Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser highlighting the significant reduction in crime resulting from the operation, and operations in Memphis have already taken gang members off the streets and recovered missing children,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in the statement. “San Francisco Democrats should look at the great results in DC and Memphis and listen to fellow Democrat Mayor Bowser and welcome the president to clean up their city.”
On Sunday, Trump claimed that the deployment of federal troops to San Francisco would be welcome, although several state and local officials have sharply criticized the idea.
San Francisco Dist. Atty. Brooke Jenkins vowed earlier this month to prosecute federal law enforcement officers “when they cross the lines of the law.”
“I can no longer remain silent,” Jenkins wrote in one message on X. “[Sec. of Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem] And [President Donald Trump] have turned so-called public safety and immigration enforcement into a form of government-sponsored violence against American citizens, families and ethnic groups.”
The post came after Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said in an interview that he would welcome Trump sending National Guard troops to San Francisco. A few days later, he walked back his comments after receiving criticism from city leaders and fellow tech executives.
“If you come to San Francisco and illegally harass our residents, use excessive force, or cross other lines that the law prohibits, I will not hesitate to do my job and hold you accountable, just as I do other lawbreakers every day,” Jenkins wrote.
On Thursday, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected claims that the city wanted to see troops on the ground.
“San Francisco does not want or need Donald Trump’s chaos,” Pelosi said in a speech statement. “Our city is very proud of the steps we have taken to significantly increase public safety and reduce crime in partnership with community and state officials – without the intervention of a headline-grabbing president.”
Governor Gavin Newsom, who has openly debated with the president on social media and in interviews, joked about Trump’s statement that San Francisco was “one of our great cities” 10 or 15 years ago, pointing out that Newsom was mayor at the time.
“Why, thank you!” Newsom wrote on X.
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