Feinstein surprises SF crowd by expressing hope for Trump 
 
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 Sen. Dianne Feinstein may be San Francisco’s favorite politician, but she quickly learned Tuesday evening that even a wildly popular ex-mayor can get into trouble if she tries to say something nice about President Trump. 
 
 Feinstein received a standing ovation from the 850 people at the sold-out Herbst Theater when she walked onto the stage for an hour-long “conversation” with former East Bay Rep. Ellen Tauscher. But near the end of the political lovefest, the senator shocked the crowd when she declined to say that Trump should be impeached, and warned the audience that they should expect to deal with the developer-turned politician for all four years of his term. 
 
 “The question is whether he can learn and change,” Feinstein told the crowd at the Commonwealth Club event. “If so, I believe he can be a good president.” 
 
 Sen. Dianne Feinstein in conversation with Ellen Tauscher during The Commonwealth Club of California event at Herbst Theater in San Francisco, Calif. on Tuesday, August 29, 2017. Sen. Dianne Feinstein in conversation with Ellen Tauscher during The Commonwealth Club of California event at Herbst Theater in San Francisco, Calif. on Tuesday, August 29, 2017. Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Buy photo 
 
 Sen. Dianne Feinstein acknowledges a standing ovation before a conversation with Ellen Tauscher during The Commonwealth Club of California event at Herbst Theater in San Francisco, Calif. on Tuesday, August 29, 2017. less Sen. Dianne Feinstein acknowledges a standing ovation before a conversation with Ellen Tauscher during The Commonwealth Club of California event at Herbst Theater in San Francisco, Calif. on Tuesday, August 29, ... more Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Buy photo 
 
 Sen. Dianne Feinstein reacts while talking about the Hurricane Harvey flooding in Houston during a conversation with Ellen Tauscher during The Commonwealth Club of California event at Herbst Theater in San Francisco, Calif. on Tuesday, August 29, 2017. less Sen. Dianne Feinstein reacts while talking about the Hurricane Harvey flooding in Houston during a conversation with Ellen Tauscher during The Commonwealth Club of California event at Herbst Theater in San ... more Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Buy photo 
 
 Sen. Dianne Feinstein in conversation with Ellen Tauscher during The Commonwealth Club of California event at Herbst Theater in San Francisco, Calif. on Tuesday, August 29, 2017. Sen. Dianne Feinstein in conversation with Ellen Tauscher during The Commonwealth Club of California event at Herbst Theater in San Francisco, Calif. on Tuesday, August 29, 2017. Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Buy photo 
 
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 Click through this slideshow to see 6 months of President Trump, in 7 issues. 
 
 1. Health care. 
 
 The promise: Repeal and replace Obamacare. 
 
 
 
 The reality: A fractious Republican Party hasn't done either, and Trump has seemed mostly uninterested in trying to help them find a way to come together on it. less Click through this slideshow to see 6 months of President Trump, in 7 issues. 
 
 1. Health care. 
 
 1. Health care. The promise: Repeal and replace Obamacare. 
 
 
 
 The reality: A fractious Republican Party hasn't done either, and Trump has ... more Photo: Jabin Botsford /The Washington Post 
 
 2. Immigration. 
 
 The promise: Build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. 
 
 
 
 The reality: He still really wants to build that wall. Trump hasn't been one to delve into policy details, but he's uncharacteristically engaged on the finer details of the wall, our ace White House team reports: "The wall of his dreams - 700 to 900 miles long, with transparent sections so that border agents aren't hit on the head by 'large stacks of drugs' tossed over from the Mexican side, and outfitted with solar panels." less 2. Immigration. 
 
 The promise: Build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. 
 
 
 
 The reality: He still really wants to build that wall. Trump hasn't been one to delve into policy details, but he's uncharacteristically ... more Photo: Eric Gay /Associated Press 
 
 2b. The travel ban. 
 
 The promise: Temporarily ban Muslims or people from terrorism-prone countries from coming to the United States. 
 
 
 
 The reality: As of Wednesday, his travel ban is half on pause while a federal court decides whether it's actually constitutional. less 2b. The travel ban. 
 
 The promise: Temporarily ban Muslims or people from terrorism-prone countries from coming to the United States. 
 
 
 
 The reality: As of Wednesday, his travel ban is half on pause while a federal ... more Photo: DAVID MCNEW, Stringer / AFP/Getty Images 
 
 3. Federal government 
 
 The promise: Make it work more efficiently. 
 
 
 
 The reality: Depends how you look at this. The Post's Lisa Rein reports that the federal government workforce of 2.1 million people has become a target for Trump and his allies to "drain the swamp," blunting morale for many of these workers. less 3. Federal government 
 
 The promise: Make it work more efficiently. 
 
 
 
 The reality: Depends how you look at this. The Post's Lisa Rein reports that the federal government workforce of 2.1 million people has become a ... more Photo: STEPHEN CROWLEY /NYT 
 
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 4. China 
 
 The promise: Stop China from taking advantage of the United States. 
 
 
 
 The reality: Again, depends how you look at this. International relations experts argued that when Trump left the Paris climate agreement, it empowered China, the world's other largest greenhouse gas emitter, to cozy up to Europe. Trump also did an about-face from a key campaign promise when he suddenly decided China is not a currency manipulator. less 4. China 
 
 The promise: Stop China from taking advantage of the United States. 
 
 
 
 The reality: Again, depends how you look at this. International relations experts argued that when Trump left the Paris climate ... more Photo: JIM WATSON, Staff / AFP/Getty Images 
 
 5. Russia 
 
 The promise: To get along with Russia better than Obama did. 
 
 
 
 The reality: Trump may be getting along with Russia at the expense of his perception by Americans. We learned on Tuesday that he had a previously undisclosed one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Group of 20 summit earlier this month. less 5. Russia 
 
 The promise: To get along with Russia better than Obama did. 
 
 
 
 The reality: Trump may be getting along with Russia at the expense of his perception by Americans. We learned on Tuesday that he had a ... more Photo: Alexei Druzhinin /Associated Press 
 
 6. Congress 
 
 The promise: To make it work. 
 
 
 
 The reality: Trump does not have a good relationship with Congress. He works under chaos; Congress has a hard time functioning in chaos. 6. Congress 
 
 The promise: To make it work. 
 
 
 
 The reality: Trump does not have a good relationship with Congress. He works under chaos; Congress has a hard time functioning in chaos. Photo: Michael Reynolds /Bloomberg News 
 
 7. Winning 
 
 The promise: See above. 
 
 
 
 The reality: This one's in the eye of the beholder. 7. Winning 
 
 The promise: See above. 
 
 
 
 The reality: This one's in the eye of the beholder. Photo: Nicholas Kamm /AFP /Getty Images 
 
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 That sort of talk is never heard in Democratic circles, where California Congress members already are talking about what they see as the need to impeach Trump or remove him from office via the 25th Amendment. 
 
 The crowd reacted with stunned silence, broken only with scattered “No’s” and a few hisses and some nervous laughter. 
 
 Watch the full talk below: 
 
 But Feinstein didn’t back away, reacting to a question about why Democrats aren’t being more out front in attacking Trump by reminding people that not only is Trump president, but he’s also only been in office for eight months. 
 
 “We’ll have to see if he can forget himself enough and have the type of empathy and direction the country needs,” she said. 
 
 If he doesn’t, she added, “there are things that can be done.” 
 
 Feinstein argued that a strategy of all attack, all the time, wasn’t going to make it easier for her or any other Democrat to accomplish anything in Washington. 
 
 “I have to work with people and a punch in the nose is not going to do it,” she said. 
 
 While Feinstein didn’t change the jeers to cheers, at least some of the crowd saw, albeit reluctantly, where she was coming from. 
 
 “I thinks she has to continue to be hopeful ... if she’s going to be working with people,” said Pat Belotti of San Francisco. 
 
 If Feinstein is going to work in a bipartisan way, she needs to think things will get better, said Sarah Small of Burlingame, “even if she might not be right.” 
 
 Even Tauscher, who pointedly suggested that “it’s a little late by my watch,” for Republican politicians to publicly repudiate many of Trump’s statements and proposals, admitted that she would likely be more circumspect if she was still in Congress. 
 
 But during her time on stage, Feinstein also reminded the crowd why she often causes California’s progressives to grind their teeth. 
 
 When asked what she would do about Trump’s plan to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, Feinstein reminded the crowd that she had voted against NAFTA in 1993, arguing that it would take manufacturing jobs from California and move them to Mexico. 
 
 “I believe it should be renegotiated,” she said, making it more fair and more up to date. 
 
 But Feinstein also showed she was far from Trump’s forever friend, slamming the president’s slow and seemingly reluctant response to the racism of the march in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this month. 
 
 “The president shouldn’t have tried to placate both sides,” she said to loud applause. “You cannot placate American Nazis. You cannot placate white supremacists.” 
 
 Feinstein also blasted his pardon of former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio last week, saying that the decision was a signal to police across the country that racial profiling is OK. 
 
 “It was a stupid thing to do,” the senator said. 
 
 But the 84-year-old Feinstein was far less straightforward when Tauscher asked her, in a roundabout way, whether she would run for a new six-year term next year. 
 
 “Next question,” the senator replied. 
 
 John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth ||||| Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein created a small uproar Tuesday after telling a San Francisco audience that if President Trump "can learn and change," he could “be a good president.” 
 
 The conciliatory language didn’t last long. 
 
 California’s senior senator issued a lengthy statement late Wednesday clarifying her true feelings toward the president – which are largely negative. 
 
 “I’ve been strongly critical of President Trump when I disagree on policy and with his behavior,” she said, noting she was “appalled” by Trump’s response to the Charlottesville violence and the pardon of former Sheriff Joe Arpaio. 
 
 And she sought to put her statement from the day before in context: “The duty of the American president is to bring people together, not cater to one segment of a political base; to solve problems, not campaign constantly. While I’m under no illusion that it’s likely to happen and will continue to oppose his policies, I want President Trump to change for the good of the country.” 
 
 The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Feinstein’s original remarks during an interview at the Herbst Theater. 
 
 The paper described the event as a “political lovefest” — pointing out that Feinstein is wildly popular in San Francisco, where she served as mayor for a decade. 
 
 Toward the end of the evening, Feinstein reportedly shocked the crowd when she declined to say that Trump should be impeached and told the audience they should be prepared to see Trump complete his four-year term. 
 
 Feinstein serves on both the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee, both of which are investigating Russia’s alleged involvement in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. 
 
 “The question is whether he can learn and change. If so, I believe he can be a good president,” she said. 
 
 The report said, “the crowd reacted with stunned silence, broken only with scattered 'No’s' and a few hisses and some nervous laughter.” The article said that kind of talk is “never heard in Democratic circles.” 
 
 Feinstein has indeed been a tough critic of Trump. She recently slammed his decision to pardon Arpaio, saying Trump's action shows a “flagrant disregard for the rule of law in this country.” 
 
 She has also criticized Trump’s transgender military ban and called the nature of Trump’s immigration policies “cruel and arbitrary.” 
 
 Fox News’ Edmund DeMarche and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
– "I believe he can be a good president." Those were the words from Sen. Dianne Feinstein that, per the San Francisco Chronicle, "shocked" her audience Tuesday night during an appearance in the city. Specifically, Feinstein said she thinks President Trump can be a good president if "he can learn and change." She also refused to say he should be impeached, and told the audience they'd likely be dealing with him as POTUS for the full four-year term. The Chronicle sums up the crowd's reaction thusly: "The crowd reacted with stunned silence, broken only with scattered 'No’s' and a few hisses and some nervous laughter." Responding to questions about why the Democrats aren't on the attack more, she said, "I have to work with people and a punch in the nose is not going to do it." But, as Fox News notes, after Feinstein's words made headlines and resulted in backlash, she issued a statement clarifying them: "I’ve been strongly critical of President Trump when I disagree on policy and with his behavior," she said, adding that she was "appalled" by his response to the Charlottesville violence and his pardon of Joe Arpaio. "The duty of the American president is to bring people together, not cater to one segment of a political base; to solve problems, not campaign constantly," she continued. "While I’m under no illusion that it’s likely to happen and will continue to oppose his policies, I want President Trump to change for the good of the country."