San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has publicly rejected President Donald Trump’s proposal to deploy the National Guard to the city as part of a broader crime crackdown. Lurie, a Democrat elected in 2024, emphasized that the National Guard does not possess the legal authority to arrest drug dealers, making their deployment ineffective in curbing drug trafficking and enhancing public safety.
Lurie’s position contrasts sharply with Trump’s recent statements, which have called for a federal response to urban crime, including the deployment of National Guard units in several major cities. While Trump has framed these deployments as a way to restore order, Lurie argues that such measures are both unnecessary and counterproductive. He points to his administration’s efforts to reduce violent crime as evidence that local solutions can work without federal intervention.
The mayor’s rejection of Trump’s plan aligns with the broader political divide in the United States regarding the role of the federal government in urban law enforcement. While Trump’s administration advocates for a more direct approach, many local leaders, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, have criticized such measures as overreaching and potentially harmful to community relations.
In a statement shared with Fox News Digital, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson called on San Francisco Democrats to ‘welcome the President in to clean up their city.’ However, Lurie and other city officials have made it clear that they are not interested in such federal involvement, instead insisting on their own strategies for public safety and drug enforcement.
The tensions between the Trump administration and local leaders reflect a larger debate about the balance between federal oversight and local control. As the issue of urban crime continues to dominate political discourse, the responses of mayors and governors will likely shape the direction of public policy in the coming years.