Salesforce CEO apologizes for saying Trump should send troops to SF

Sales force CEO Marc Benioff apologized Friday for making comments supporting President Donald Trump’s potential sending of federal troops to San Francisco, where his company is based.

“After listening carefully to my fellow San Francisco residents and our local officials, and following the largest and most secure Dreamforce in our history, I do not believe the National Guard is necessary to keep San Francisco safe,” Benioff wrote in an article on X.

The Trump administration recently deployed the National Guard to Portland, Oregon and Chicago, sparking protests and lawsuits and leading to the detention of citizens and immigrants without legal representation.

In an article published last week in the New York Times, Benioff said he would welcome troops to San Francisco, Salesforce’s headquarters. The company’s annual Dreamforce conference was held in downtown San Francisco Tuesday through Thursday.

“We don’t have enough cops, so if they can be cops, I’m all for it,” Benioff told the Times.

Benioff faced backlash for his comments from local politicians and other leaders. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and San Francisco politicians issued statements and held news conferences Wednesday to send the message that federal troops are not welcome in the city and that crime is down.

Prominent startup investor Ron Conway, who has backed companies including Google, Airbnb and Stripe, resigned from the Salesforce Foundation board on Thursday. According to the New York Times, Conway told Benioff in an email that their “values ​​were no longer aligned.”

Conway is a longtime Democratic donor who was a member of Kamala’s venture capital firms and donated approximately $500,000 to at least two funds linked to Kamala Harris’ failed 2024 election campaign. Although Benioff has donated to members of both parties, he has supported Democrats for president, including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris.

Venture capitalist David Sacks, a longtime friend and associate of Musk who is now Trump’s AI and crypto czar, said after Conway’s announcement that Benioff could join the Republicans. On Tuesday, Sacks joined Benioff for an onstage interview at Dreamforce.

“Dear Marc @Benioff, if the Democrats don’t want you, we’d be happy to have you join our team,” Sacks wrote on X. “Cancel culture is over and we are the inclusive party.”

Following Benioff’s initial comment to the Times, Benioff appeared to walk back his comments, writing on X that safety is “first and foremost the responsibility of our city and our state’s leaders.” However, by this point, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and other right-wing figures had seized on his original comments, amplifying them to their audiences.

Musk, who has drawn criticism for his personal drug use, called downtown San Francisco a “zombie drug apocalypse.” And on Wednesday, Trump called San Francisco a “mess” and suggested possibly sending in the National Guard.

“My previous comment came out of an abundance of caution surrounding the event, and I sincerely apologize for the concern it has caused,” Benioff wrote in his Friday post. “I firmly believe that our city progresses the most when we all work together in a spirit of partnership.”

— CNBC’s Lora Kolodny contributed to this report.

WATCH: Interview with Benioff at Dreamforce