White House Dodges Questions on San Francisco Makeover Ahead of APEC Summit
In a White House press briefing on Monday, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan sidestepped a reporter’s question about whether the Biden administration feels “embarrassed” by San Francisco’s efforts to spruce up the city before the arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit this week.
The reporter raised valid criticism by asking if the President is “embarrassed that an American city needs to go through a total makeover to be presentable for his out-of-town guest.”
Sullivan outright ignored the question, choosing instead to highlight President Biden’s alleged achievements. He cited low unemployment, investments in American infrastructure, and the strongest economic record among developed countries. At no point did he address the ongoing issues facing San Francisco, such as homelessness, drug use, and crime, which the reporter pressed on in a follow-up question.
“Does President Biden agree it’s more important to impress the leader of China than the American people that live in San Francisco and pay taxes every day,” the reporter further questioned.
“First, I completely reject the premise of your question,” Sullivan responsed. “Secondly, I don’t know what the context of what Governor Newsom said, so I won’t respond to it.”
The reporter’s question was in reference to previous statements by California Governor Gavin Newsom, where he admitted that San Francisco’s cleanup efforts were specifically targeted at accommodating the Chinese president and the APEC summit.
San Francisco, once a prosperous city and a cultural hub in California, is now used as the prime example of a failing U.S. city. The city grapples with widespread homeless encampments, a surge in crime prompting residents to post signs in their cars to deter break-ins and sanitation issues such as fecal matter on the sidewalks.
The reluctance of the White House to directly address these concerns raises questions about the state of California’s and the federal government’s priorities and its stance on the challenges faced by everyday Americans in cities like San Francisco.
