President Donald Trump has San Francisco in his sights again, and maybe Bill O’Reilly had something to do with it.
In a meeting with his Cabinet on Thursday, Trump suggested that a federal intervention in San Francisco was again on the table, pointing to what he said are the city’s ongoing struggles with crime and drug abuse.
“San Francisco — a great city, was a great city — could quickly become a great city again,” Trump said in a rambling comment. “But, you know, they’re going very slowly.
“They have tremendous, tremendous potential. It was one of the greatest cities in the world. Now it’s got a lot of crime. And the mayor’s really trying. Again, a Democrat trying. And I spoke to him. He just wants to have a chance. And I said, ‘We’ll give you a chance, but we can solve it very quickly.’”
Trump’s comments came hours before Bill O’Reilly, the former Fox News host, released a NewsNation prime-time special titled “The Decline and Fall of San Francisco,” dredging up a milieu of drugs, homelessness, and neglect. “One of the worst places in America,” O’Reilly said as he toured a Tenderloin street. “A legion of drug addicts, mentally ill, miscreants, thieves roaming the city. Nobody does anything about it.”
Donald Trump and Bill O’Reilly at Yankee Stadium in 2012. | Source: Getty Images
O’Reilly’s special was heavily promoted in the days before broadcast, suggesting that the show might have reminded Trump that no city rattles conservative brains as much as the home of Gov. Gavin Newsom and Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
Indeed, Fox News and its ilk have found San Francisco an irresistible target since 2023, when they gleefully showcased the city’s descent into a “doom loop” of homelessness, drug addiction, and street crime.
Despite visible recent progress in addressing these problems — street tents and structures decreased to 155 in February from nearly 400 in February 2024 — the insinuations of the city’s decline continue. In February, conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley came to town, hoping to root out fraud or corruption. He also visited the Tenderloin.
Political experts say there are reasons the anti-SF messaging won’t go away.
“This is part of a campaign to undermine Gavin Newsom,” said Democratic consultant Jim Ross. “Look what they did on the fraud stuff with [Gov. Tim Walz] in Minnesota. They think that formula worked.” In the outrage after Shirley’s videos in Minnesota, Walz dropped out of his race for reelection.
Matt Shupe, a Sacramento consultant for Republicans, said the timing is again right for putting SF in the spotlight with midterm elections coming up in November. “San Francisco is essentially the capital of the Democratic Party,” said Shupe. “It is a beautiful city. A magical place. It’s very special. But it also demonstrates the criminal mismanagement that pure Democratic Party rule has on one city.”
The negative reports may seem repetitive, Shupe said, but that’s because they are effective. “It’s a good way to contrast [Democratic] talking points and anchor it in reality,” he said, noting that he was speaking as a consultant, not as a representative of the state Republican Party, which is one of his clients.
Ross, however, isn’t sure the punches are landing on Newsom or other Democrats. “They’re still looking for the issue. I don’t think it’s popped up,” he said. “They’re still scrambling for their Somalian child-care story in California.”
In a statement, Lurie underscored the progress made on his watch. “In San Francisco, crime is down 30%, encampments are at record lows, and our city is on the rise. Public safety is my No. 1 priority, and we are going to stay laser focused on keeping our streets safe and clean.”