Trump's Latest Target: A Nancy Pelosi Achievement in San Francisco

New York Times

20-02-2025

Nancy Pelosi, one of President Trump's most vocal critics in his first term, has mostly held her fire this time around, largely out of deference to the Democratic leaders who succeeded her.
But that changed this week after Mr. Trump struck directly at Ms. Pelosi's local legacy and the liberal city that she adores.
The Republican president ordered the federal government to 'eliminate to the maximum extent' the functions of the Presidio Trust, one of Ms. Pelosi's proudest San Francisco accomplishments as a Democratic stalwart in Congress.
The trust oversees the Presidio, a former military outpost in the city's northwest corner that is known for its lush grounds, scenic hiking trails and eclectic collection of businesses in repurposed army buildings, all with stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Residents consider it a city treasure, and tourists flock there for the bayside beaches and parks.
'What is the purpose of this?' Ms. Pelosi asked in an interview Thursday morning. 'It's a distraction.'
'We cannot let our country be distracted by what he's doing and what his co-president, Musk, is doing,' she added, referring to Elon Musk, the head of Mr. Trump's so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
Ms. Pelosi was known for goading Mr. Trump in his first term, even ripping up the pages of his State of the Union speech in 2020. When he was elected again in November, Ms. Pelosi knew that San Francisco could be targeted, given his open disdain for her and the city that she represents.
Many San Francisco residents woke up on Thursday to learn that the Presidio had become the latest mark in a long list of cuts pursued by Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk. The president issued an executive order late Wednesday titled 'Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy' that listed four 'unnecessary' entities, with the Presidio Trust at the top of the list. The groups have two weeks to show that they are using no federal money other than the funds required by statute to be spent.
Republicans have taken particular issue with a $200 million grant that Ms. Pelosi secured for the Presidio in her final year as House speaker. The money, part of the Inflation Reduction Act, went toward utility upgrades and infrastructure and has already been allocated, according to Lisa Petrie, a spokeswoman for the Presidio Trust. Ms. Pelosi said that the money was deserved because Republicans had previously given similar grants to other national parks but had excluded the Presidio.
Ms. Pelosi is confident, she said Thursday, that the Presidio Trust and its 1,491 acres of parks, residential neighborhoods and businesses will survive just fine by relying on their own operating revenue and fund-raising dollars.
'I don't take it personally if he wants to insult something as innovative and wonderful as the Presidio,' she said. 'There are some people who don't believe in urban parks. We believe in urban parks, and that's why we have the Presidio.'
The federal government transferred the former army post to the National Park Service in October 1994. Two years later, Ms. Pelosi worked in Congress with Senator Dianne Feinstein, her friend from San Francisco, to create the Presidio Trust to operate it. The legislation required that the trust be self-sufficient by 2013 or risk having the land sold off.
The plan worked. Old military buildings were converted into housing where thousands of people live. Others were turned into a variety of popular businesses that included a theater, a bowling alley, yoga studios, a trampoline park, a hotel and offices.
There are now playgrounds and schools. And the new Presidio Tunnel Tops park, with a plaza named for Ms. Pelosi, has proved tremendously popular.
The Walt Disney Museum is there. So are the headquarters of George Lucas's Lucasfilm Ltd., with a Yoda statue perched out front.
The Presidio Trust collects money by renting out those buildings and hosting events such as weddings and corporate meetings, which has been enough to allow the park to operate without federal money. It has also received private donations over the years, including funds from Mimi Haas, a billionaire heir to the Levi Strauss fortune and the mother of Mayor Daniel Lurie.
At a 30th anniversary celebration last fall, Ms. Pelosi stood before a smiling crowd, her hot-pink suit popping against the blue blazers of local businessmen and the olive green uniforms of park rangers. She observed that three decades earlier, some Republicans had supported her legislation establishing the Presidio Trust.
'As you look around, it is pristine,' she said. 'It's beautiful, and it took a village.'
Mr. Trump does have the power to reshape the board of the Presidio Trust, just as he did with the Kennedy Center in Washington. In his first term, he appointed Michael Savage, a conservative radio talk show host, to the Presidio Trust board — an appointment that Mr. Biden later reversed.
Employees of the Presidio Trust received emails late Wednesday night from Jean Fraser, the trust's chief executive, telling them that she believes the White House Office of Management and Budget does not understand that the park is self-sufficient.
'I'm so sorry for the anxiety this must cause you,' the email read. 'Be extra kind to yourself and to your colleagues as we go through this together.'
Presidio Trust employees have avoided Mr. Trump's job cuts because while they are federal employees, they are not among the civil service positions that the president has targeted. Some National Park Service employees who work with them to care for the grounds and the wildlife have lost their positions in the past several days.
Zoe Slocum and her family, who have lived in the Presidio for 15 years, have enjoyed the area so much that they have recruited friends to live nearby. It is a place where children feel safe running around together, neighbors exchange butter and sugar, the lawns are well-manicured and the streets are kept clean, Ms. Slocum said. She pointed out that there are several private schools, a golf course and a YMCA.
'All the things that Trump purports to love,' she said. 'Of course, Trump has a vendetta against Nancy Pelosi, but it makes no sense.'
Ms. Pelosi, 84, has had a rough few months. After Ms. Harris lost the presidential race, Ms. Pelosi fell during a trip to Luxembourg in December and had to have a hip replaced. She recuperated at her home in Pacific Heights, near the edge of the Presidio, until she returned to Washington earlier this month.
She recently came back to San Francisco to help care for her husband, Paul Pelosi, who was released from the hospital on Tuesday after he received a kidney transplant from the couple's daughter, Jacqueline.
On Thursday, Ms. Pelosi did not want to dwell on her personal woes (she said, with a sigh, that she was doing 'so-so') and wanted to focus instead on rebuking Mr. Trump and other Republicans for slashing programs that she said were crucial to everyday Americans.
Others were more blunt in their belief that Mr. Trump was personally attacking Ms. Pelosi.
'The Presidio Trust is a massive success story,' said Scott Wiener, a Democratic state senator from San Francisco. 'Trump is a vindictive narcissist, and if he's not able to benefit or make money from something, he wants to tear it down, particularly if it has to do with San Francisco or Nancy Pelosi.'
The Presidio Trust is not the only San Francisco entity on the federal chopping block. Mr. Trump's administration has created a list of 'non-core' federal assets targeted for sale, The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Thursday.
Among them: the Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building.