Elon Musk slams Zohran Mamdani's FDNY commissioner pick: 'People will die because of this'

NEW YORK CITY, NY: Elon Musk took to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, December 26, to sharply criticize New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s appointment of Lillian Bonsignore as the next Fire Department of New York (FDNY) commissioner, claiming "people will die because of this."

The Tesla CEO's post came in response to a clip noting that Bonsignore, while experienced in emergency medical services, never served as a firefighter, prompting the billionaire to argue that "proven experience matters when lives are at stake."

Mamdani defends appointment of Lillian Bonsignore

Mamdani announced earlier this week that Bonsignore, a 31-year veteran of the FDNY and former chief of emergency medical services, will take over as commissioner when he assumes office on January 1, 2026.

Mamdani highlighted her decades of leadership, including during the 9/11 attacks and the Covid-19 pandemic, as reasons for her selection.

Supporters of the appointment say Bonsignore’s deep institutional knowledge and crisis experience make her well-suited for the role despite not having been a firefighter.

Mamdani called her leadership “exactly the kind our city needs in moments of uncertainty.” Critics, however, have focused on her non-traditional background for a fire commissioner. 

Who is Lillian Bonsignore?

Lillian Bonsignore is a longtime FDNY official who rose through the ranks to become the department’s first female EMS chief before retiring in 2022. 

She will be the first openly gay commissioner and only the second woman to lead the FDNY.

Public reaction has been mixed. Supporters praised her for breaking barriers and bringing extensive emergency management experience to the role, while some critics on social media echoed Musk’s concerns about her lack of firefighting experience.

Others defended the appointment as a meaningful step toward diversity and inclusion in city leadership.

Musk’s earlier posts draw pushback

Musk’s reaction on Friday wasn’t his first involvement in New York political discourse this year.

In November, just before the mayoral election, he urged voters on X to back former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo over both Mamdani and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.

 In that post, the tech billionaire wrote, “VOTE CUOMO,” and later responded to critics with a defiant retort after facing backlash over endorsements.

When social media users pointed to Musk's repeated endorsement of individuals who have been accused of sexual assault, Musk retorted, asking ''Do you have a better suggestion?''