Trump win a ‘punch in the mouth’ for presumptive mayor-elect Lurie

When the next round of ballots are processed at 4 p.m. today, it is widely expected that Daniel Lurie’s path to mayor will move from probable to something more closely resembling a mathematical certainty. Expect his challengers to gracefully acknowledge this. 

Lurie’s plan to win the race appears to have worked out as devised: Copious amounts of ready money — more than $16 million — drowning out less blessed candidates and highly competent behind-the-scenes hired lieutenants directing a deeply disciplined candidate — who never once succumbed to the temptation to go off-message. The old Yiddish proverb is that a wise man knows what he says and a fool says what he knows. Lurie has proven wise by this measure. 

So that was the plan to get elected. But, come January, he’ll need a new plan: A plan to govern. 

At this point, perhaps the most relevant input comes from former heavyweight champion, videogame protagonist, convicted rapist and notable Donald Trump supporter Mike Tyson: “Everyone has a plan until they’re punched in the mouth.”

For any would-be San Francisco mayor, Trump’s ascendancy to the presidency was a punch in the mouth. Being mayor of San Francisco is difficult even in the best of times (if you’re doing it right). These are not the best of times — and, with an erratic, malevolent adversary in the White House, the mayor of San Francisco will be facing vast new challenges. 

Trump, as so many Americans have either forgotten or resigned themselves to, is exhausting. And that’s all the more so when you’re living in (or leading) a deep blue city that stands in as the avatar of liberal misrule. 

Do you remember President Trump in 2019 threatening to sic the Environmental Protection Agency on San Francisco after a nonsensical off-the-cuff remark that homeless people’s dung and drug detritus were befouling the water? Well, he did that. 

In the end, the EPA obliged our commander-in-chief, and the city was sent a memo — which, essentially, was flushed down the toilet and disgorged into the bay along with all the rest of the worthless crap. Don’t get me wrong: This is all disturbing. The EPA isn’t supposed to spring into action like a trained Dobermann after the president makes an offhand remark or sends out a petulant tweet. But, by and large, this was a minor, passing story. 

But, for the mayor of this city it sows an ecosystem of chaos — again, on top of an already challenging job with terrible burdens in store for 2025. The challenge for any mayor is addressing these outbursts — which must be addressed — and never knowing how far they may escalate. Normal judgments about logic and typical government or human behavior do not apply; Trump behaves less like a president serving the people than a warlord who must be appeased.