Trump has followed through with his threats to fire the Presidio’s entire board of trustees following his executive order last year — likely out of spite against Pelosi, and it’s unclear when new trustees will be appointed.

President Donald Trump has removed all six members of the Presidio Trust’s board, who received letters Wednesday. The board, which consists of all Biden appointees, said it had expected leadership changes and is awaiting details on who will be appointed next, as the Chronicle reports.

“We have a long history of wonderful leaders serving the Presidio, and we look forward to welcoming and working with the new members,” the board said in its statement.

As SFist reported last year, Trump threatened terminating the board during his first hundred days back in office, along with the "elimination" or dissolution of three other organizations in Washington DC, which were all tied to international affairs — the Inter-American Foundation, the United States African Development Foundation, and the United States Institute of Peace. The executive order technically instructed "unnecessary" government entities to reduce staffing and activities "to the minimum presence and function required by law.”

The Presidio Trust was a bit of an outlier in the executive order, as it's essentially a real estate management entity that was established by Congress in 1996 to collect rent and oversee maintenance on the 1,500 acres of federally owned properties in the Presidio, while also overseeing the development of projects like the Letterman Digital Arts Center.

Per the Chronicle, the Presidio Trust pushed back on the federal directive last year by pointing to its financial independence and high occupancy rates across both housing and commercial properties. In a 14-page response to the executive order, the agency emphasized that it has operated without annual congressional funding since 2013, generating $182 million in revenue in 2024 alone and contributing more than $1.1 billion in value to the national park.

According to KRON4, the US Department of the Interior awarded the Presidio $200 million in funding in 2023 to update aged utilities and infrastructure, which was secured by Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi through the Inflation Reduction Act, but the nonprofit reportedly sustains itself largely through leasing revenue and philanthropic donations.

“Run like a business, with a CEO and a Chief Business Officer, and overseen by a board appointed by the President of the United States, the Presidio Trust operates profitable businesses — commercial leasing, residential leasing, hotels, and a golf course — in order to fund park operations,” the report states, per the Chronicle.

The Trust's response to Trump's order also highlighted support from board members appointed during Trump’s first term, including Lynne Benioff, who pointed to the organization’s track record in attracting private investment, saying its reputation has encouraged donors to fund park projects.

“Put simply, donors trust the Trust,” Benioff said in the report. “Its reputation as a well-run organization means people are willing to put their own dollars into projects to make the park even more successful.”

The Chronicle reports that many believed Trump's order was aimed at Pelosi, who also helped establish the Presidio Trust, per the Chronicle. Pelosi said she was disappointed by the firings but maintained the park’s protections remain intact under federal law, and praised the board’s leadership while urging future appointees to follow past precedent.

“It was disappointing that the president has chosen to fire an excellent Presidio Trust,” Pelosi said in a statement Saturday night.

“San Francisco and indeed the nation are indebted to the board members for their leadership and their dedication to our beloved national park,” she said. “While this decision is unfortunate, previous Republican appointees to the board have respected the Presidio. We hope that this president will look to them with guidance on appointments.”

The firings come months after Trust CEO Jean Fraser announced plans to step down this year, with a search for her successor already underway, per the Chronicle. At the time, Fraser said the Trust remained financially stable and noted that the Trump administration had not responded to its report following the executive order, adding she would have stayed on if she believed the agency was at risk.

Fraser said the timing aligned with the organization’s stability, describing it as an opportunity to bring in new leadership as she prepares to take on a new role.

The terms of three of the six trustees removed from the board expired last May, and the remaining three would have run through May 2027, as the Chronicle reports.

“It has been a passion and a pleasure to serve on the board of the Presidio Trust,” said Chairman Mark Buell in a statement. “The Presidio is the most successful example of a Post to Park conversion in the country and should serve as a model for others.”

Previously: Trump Orders Presidio Trust 'Eliminated' But That May Not Happen

Image: Presidio Trust