Trump criticizes San Francisco for mass retail thefts
Former President Donald Trump took a swipe at San Francisco on Tuesday, blaming leaders in the city and other Democratic strongholds for failing to crack down on smash-and-grab retail thefts.
In a brief statement on his political fundraising site “Save America,” Trump said, “There has never been such a thing that has happened in our country,” referring to the recent mass heists clustered largely in California. He called for the National Guard to help put a stop to it.
San Francisco’s Louis Vuitton store in Union Square was among the highest-profile spots to be hit by the brazen robbers this month, with widely circulated videos showing groups of people smashing windows and grabbing merchandise.
The Nov. 19 rampage was followed by similar crimes at a Nordstrom in Walnut Creek and at shopping malls in Hayward and San Jose. High-end shops in Southern California have also reported such thefts as have retailers in Chicago and New York.
“If Democrats don’t immediately stop smash-and-grab robberies, which are taking place in their cities, the National Guard must be called out,” Trump said. “Large numbers of stores are leaving San Francisco and other cities. Some chains are closing most of their stores, it is all not even believable.”
Since the Nov. 19 robberies at Union Square, San Francisco has increased police presence in the famed shopping district, notably on Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Several stores have fortified their windows with plywood and hired private security.
San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who has filed felony charges against nine people involved in the thefts, took to Twitter to criticize the president’s comments and his approach to criminal justice. He called Trump’s policies unjust, corrupt and ineffective.
“The instigator of the Capitol smash and grab should stay out of SF politics,” Boudin tweeted.
Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander
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