After mulling the decision to mobilize the National Guard to San Francisco, President Donald Trump on Thursday announced he is backing off from sending the troops.The president, in his Truth Social post, said he spoke with friends of his on Wednesday evening. Trump said they asked him not to move forward with his deployment. Trump also said his friends told him that San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie “was making substantial progress.”Both Lurie and the city’s attorney have publicly insisted that they do not require federal assistance and that they would sue if soldiers were sent to San Francisco.”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 said in a social media post. “I told him I think he is making a mistake, because we can do it much faster, and remove the criminals that the Law does not permit him to remove.”Gov. Gavin Newsom, during a Wednesday afternoon news conference, also vowed to sue if Trump sent the California National Guard to San Francisco. Earlier that day, Newsom’s press office announced that the governor would send the Guard across the state to assist food banks, as millions could lose their food stamp benefits.Trump’s decision came as protesters gathered Thursday morning against the arrival of more than 100 federal immigration agents, including those from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The San Francisco Chronicle first reported that the agents would arrive at Coast Guard Alameda.As of 10:25 a.m., the protests have remained largely peaceful, with the exception of a vehicle driving over a protester’s foot, and federal officials using two flash-bang grenades to clear demonstrators as CBP vehicles drove through. Trump has repeatedly said he plans to deploy National Guard troops to the city to quell crime, but his administration hasn’t offered a timeline for doing so. His social media post indicated that he had planned to send the Guard to San Francisco on Saturday.His post also said that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff asked Trump to give Lurie’s plan “a shot.” Benioff previously told The New York Times he would welcome the guard into the city, but then later apologized and said it was not needed.It is unclear if he will revisit the possibility of sending the Guard to San Francisco at a later time. His post ended saying, “Stay tuned!”Shortly after Trump’s announcement, U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi praised Lurie’s role in having the troops stand down from deployment.”He has underscored that public safety must be driven by local priorities, respectful of our values and communities,” Pelosi said on social platform X.Coast Guard Island is an artificial island formed in 1913, and the Coast Guard first established a base there in 1926. The island is owned by the federal government and is not open to the general public, so escorts or specific government ID cards are required for visitors. The Coast Guard is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which also houses ICE.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel-The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.

SAN FRANCISCO —

After mulling the decision to mobilize the National Guard to San Francisco, President Donald Trump on Thursday announced he is backing off from sending the troops.

The president, in his Truth Social post, said he spoke with friends of his on Wednesday evening. Trump said they asked him not to move forward with his deployment. Trump also said his friends told him that San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie “was making substantial progress.”

Both Lurie and the city’s attorney have publicly insisted that they do not require federal assistance and that they would sue if soldiers were sent to San Francisco.

“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 said in a social media post. “I told him I think he is making a mistake, because we can do it much faster, and remove the criminals that the Law does not permit him to remove.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom, during a Wednesday afternoon news conference, also vowed to sue if Trump sent the California National Guard to San Francisco. Earlier that day, Newsom’s press office announced that the governor would send the Guard across the state to assist food banks, as millions could lose their food stamp benefits.

Trump’s decision came as protesters gathered Thursday morning against the arrival of more than 100 federal immigration agents, including those from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The San Francisco Chronicle first reported that the agents would arrive at Coast Guard Alameda.

As of 10:25 a.m., the protests have remained largely peaceful, with the exception of a vehicle driving over a protester’s foot, and federal officials using two flash-bang grenades to clear demonstrators as CBP vehicles drove through.

Trump has repeatedly said he plans to deploy National Guard troops to the city to quell crime, but his administration hasn’t offered a timeline for doing so. His social media post indicated that he had planned to send the Guard to San Francisco on Saturday.

His post also said that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff asked Trump to give Lurie’s plan “a shot.” Benioff previously told The New York Times he would welcome the guard into the city, but then later apologized and said it was not needed.

It is unclear if he will revisit the possibility of sending the Guard to San Francisco at a later time. His post ended saying, “Stay tuned!”

Shortly after Trump’s announcement, U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi praised Lurie’s role in having the troops stand down from deployment.

“He has underscored that public safety must be driven by local priorities, respectful of our values and communities,” Pelosi said on social platform X.

Coast Guard Island is an artificial island formed in 1913, and the Coast Guard first established a base there in 1926. The island is owned by the federal government and is not open to the general public, so escorts or specific government ID cards are required for visitors. The Coast Guard is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which also houses ICE.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

-The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.