Local and state leaders blasted President Donald Trump’s decision to fire all six board members of the Presidio Trust, the federal agency that runs the historic Presidio national park in San Francisco.
The Trump administration sent letters of termination Wednesday to the six trustees, all appointed by former President Joe Biden. The move comes more than a year after the administration issued an executive order saying the Presidio Trust should be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with federal law” because it is an example of “waste and abuse.”
The order also named three other federal entities – the Inter-American Foundation, the United States African Development Foundation and the United States Institute of Peace.
The Presidio, which contains 1,500 acres of federal land and was designated a historical landmark in 1962, has not received federal appropriations since 2013. It pays for operations with revenue from residential and commercial leases and philanthropic donations. The Presidio draws about 9.5 million visitors each year, more than the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Park combined, according to a 2025 Presidio Trust report.
The trust was created by Congress in 1996 to manage and lease property within the Presidio.
California and San Francisco leaders condemned the firings, praising the trustees’ work and citing the Presidio as a successful example of converting a former military base to a self-sustaining park.
“Trump is the destroyer president,” said state Sen. Scott Wiener, who represents San Francisco, said on the social media site X. “He tears down institutions that make the world better – Medicaid, Kennedy Center, USAID, NIH – and replaces them with nothing since he’s incapable of building. He only destroys.”
Supervisor Connie Chan calls the Presidio Trust “a model for good governance and a San Francisco treasure.” (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle)
San Francisco officials similarly criticized the firings in statements to the Chronicle.
Supervisor Connie Chan called the Presidio Trust “a model for good governance and a San Francisco treasure, and of course Trump wants to dismantle it.”
“On any given day of the week, we can expect Trump to abuse his authority and act outrageously,” Chan said. “I want to thank the entire Presidio Board of Trustees for their service and leadership. I will fight to make sure the Presidio remains a legacy open space for San Franciscans for generations to come.”
Supervisor Shamann Walton called it a “travesty” that Trump “uses politics and bipartisan tactics to attack leaders and cities who know the work and are prepared to do a great job. Every one of them are qualified and were committed to the work of the Presidio Trust.”
Mayor Daniel Lurie said: “San Francisco is the most beautiful city in the world, and the Presidio is one of our greatest treasures. The previous board members were responsible stewards of the park, and I thank them for their commitment to our city. I hope the board will continue to have strong leadership to protect this beloved resource.”
This article originally published at ‘San Francisco treasure’: City, state leaders blast Trump for firing Presidio board.