markus Lanz Details Robbery, Homelessness crisis During San Francisco visit on ZDF Talk Show
Berlin - Talk show host Markus Lanz recounted a personal experience of being robbed while on vacation in San Francisco, and expressed concern over the city’s visible homelessness and drug addiction problems, during his ZDF programme on October 8, 2025. Lanz’s observations, shared during a discussion about the United States, add to a growing national conversation about quality-of-life issues in major American cities.
Lanz described being attacked and robbed in broad daylight while having lunch in San Francisco “a few years ago,” noting that such incidents can be particularly jarring for visitors from Europe. He further detailed witnessing “tens of thousands of homeless people and drug addicts” living near the residence of U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi (85), highlighting a stark contrast between political power and visible social challenges. “Then on the othre hand I always hear that there is no problem in San Francisco and other big cities.I have a feeling of being disturbed. That doesn’t fit with what I have seen and experienced myself,” Lanz stated on air.
The moderator’s comments prompted discussion with Handelsblatt’s USA correspondent, Annett Meiritz (43), who suggested a lack of political will contributed to the ongoing crisis. Meiritz explained that in Washington, former President Trump had to threaten deployment of the national Guard before the San Francisco mayor attempted to address homelessness.
The full 75-minute episode of Markus Lanz is available on demand in the ZDF media library: https://www.zdf.de/play/talk/markus-lanz-114/markus-lanz-vom-8-oktober-2025-100.
