San Francisco spent Wednesday night on edge. Word had spread that President Donald Trump was preparing to send a surge of federal agents into the city — an expansion of his administration’s controversial policy of deploying immigration and National Guard forces into major urban centers. Local officials scrambled to prepare for confrontation, activists mobilized to monitor possible raids, and city leaders warned that any federal agents breaking local laws would face arrest.
Then, by Thursday morning, the storm had suddenly passed. Trump announced on Truth Social that the plan was “on hold” — thanks, he said, to pleas from San Francisco’s mayor and “some incredible people” who had personally reached out to him.
“The people of San Francisco have come together on fighting crime, especially since we began to take charge of that very nasty subject,” Trump wrote. “Great people like Jensen Huang, Marc Benioff, and others have called saying that the future of San Francisco is great. They want to give it a ‘shot.’ Therefore, we will not surge San Francisco on Saturday. Stay tuned!”
In a subsequent White House press conference, Trump elaborated that “four or five” influential figures — “some incredible people, some friends of mine, very successful people... some of the smartest business leaders” — had personally appealed to him to reconsider.
For a president not known for heeding opposition, the decision surprised even close observers. Trump has largely brushed off objections from local leaders during similar operations in cities such as Chicago, Portland, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. So who were these friends powerful enough to persuade him to change course — and how did they do it?
Daniel Lurie: The Careful Newcomer
Daniel Lurie, San Francisco’s newly elected mayor, is an unusual figure in the city’s turbulent political landscape. The heir to the Levi Strauss fortune and a longtime philanthropist, Lurie entered politics only recently, winning the mayoralty last November as a moderate Democrat promising to bridge divides rather than deepen them.
In a city often described as “a knife fight in a phone booth,” Lurie has adopted a cautious approach toward Trump — avoiding direct confrontation and choosing his words carefully. Unlike California Governor Gavin Newsom, who frequently spars with the White House, Lurie has declined to personally criticize the president, often refusing to even say his name in interviews.
That restraint appears to have paid off. “I spoke to Mayor Lurie last night and he asked, very nicely, that I give him a chance to see if he can turn it around,” Trump wrote in his post. “I told him I think he is making a mistake, because we can do it much faster... but, let’s see how you do.”
Lurie confirmed the conversation in a press release Thursday, saying he urged the president to give the city’s own efforts to reduce street crime and open-air drug markets more time. “I told [Trump] the same thing I told our residents: San Francisco is on the rise. Visitors are coming back, buildings are getting leased, and workers are returning to the office,” Lurie wrote.
“We would welcome continued partnerships with the FBI, DEA, ATF, and U.S. Attorney to get drugs and dealers off our streets, but having militarized immigration enforcement in our city will hinder our recovery.”
For a mayor criticized by progressives as overly cautious, Lurie’s ability to cool a potential federal standoff may mark a turning point in his early administration.
Marc Benioff: The Contrite Tech Titan
Among those who reportedly called Trump was Marc Benioff, the billionaire CEO of Salesforce and one of San Francisco’s most recognizable civic figures. Known for his philanthropy and progressive activism, Benioff has long portrayed himself as a defender of his city — donating over $1 billion to local hospitals, schools, and charities, and advocating for higher taxes on the wealthy to fight homelessness.
But Benioff stunned supporters earlier this month when he appeared to endorse Trump’s plan to send in troops. “I fully support the president,” he told The New York Times. “I think he’s doing a great job.” He justified his stance by saying parts of the city were “still incredibly unsafe” and that “if police cannot address it, then bring in whoever can.”
The backlash was immediate. Salesforce employees, local leaders, and fellow philanthropists — including Laurene Powell Jobs — publicly urged him to rethink his position. Within days, Benioff walked back his comments, saying on X: “Having listened closely to my fellow San Franciscans and our local officials... I do not believe the National Guard is needed to address safety in San Francisco.”
He apologized for what he described as an “abundance of caution” before his company’s flagship conference. “My earlier comment came from concern around the event,” he said. “I sincerely apologize for the worry it caused.”
Benioff did not confirm whether he spoke directly with Trump. But given his renewed praise for the president in recent months and the fact that Time magazine — which Benioff owns — ran a glowing Trump cover story titled “His Triumph,” many believe he played a role in tempering Trump’s stance.
Jensen Huang: The A.I. Power Broker
The third name on Trump’s list, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, represents the cutting edge of Silicon Valley’s influence on Washington. Under Huang’s leadership, Nvidia has become the world’s most valuable company — worth over $4.4 trillion — due to its dominance in producing chips that power artificial intelligence systems.
Trump has publicly praised Huang in recent months, though he admitted earlier this year that he “had never heard of the guy” before Nvidia’s meteoric rise. Behind the scenes, Huang and his team have reportedly lobbied the administration aggressively on trade and export rules related to China, where Nvidia’s chips are in high demand.
Huang lives in San Francisco’s elite Pacific Heights neighborhood and rarely comments on politics. Yet his close ties to global leaders — from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to executives across the U.S. tech industry — have positioned him as a quiet but potent influencer. When Trump cited Huang as one of the voices urging restraint, few doubted his call carried weight.
The “Others” — Still a Mystery
Trump hinted that he had also received calls from “four or five” friends, suggesting additional persuaders. While he didn’t name them, reports from The New York Times and other outlets point to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and tech entrepreneur Trevor Traina as likely candidates.
Altman, who attended Trump’s inauguration and sits on the administration’s $500 billion “Project Stargate” A.I. initiative, is said to have privately lobbied against the troop deployment. Traina, a former U.S. ambassador under Trump, told The San Francisco Standard that “the voters in S.F. picked leaders to fix these problems — and they deserve the chance to do so.”
A Temporary Reprieve
For now, San Francisco has avoided a full-scale federal “surge.” But the city remains under scrutiny from Washington, and roughly 100 federal agents reportedly arrived at the Coast Guard base near Alameda earlier this week in preparation for potential operations.
Whether Trump’s reversal is permanent or merely a pause remains to be seen. What’s clear is that, for once, a combination of local diplomacy and high-powered persuasion managed to temper a presidential impulse that has often defied restraint.
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