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Elon Musk warns 'people will die' over Mamdani's FDNY commissioner pick, Lillian Bonsignore
By Brie Stimson
Published December 27, 2025
Elon Musk on Friday slammed incoming New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for selecting a woman without operational firefighting experience as the head of the Fire Department of the City of New York City (FDNY).
"People will die because of this," the billionaire provocateur, who served in President Donald Trump's administration, wrote on X. "Proven experience matters when lives are at stake."
Mamdani, who will take office Jan. 1, appointed Lillian Bonsignore, a 31-year FDNY veteran who led EMS Operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, as FDNY commissioner this week.
She retired in 2022.
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Lillian Bonsignore during a news conference announcing her appointment as the future FDNY commissioner Tuesday. (Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
"The first woman to achieve a 4-star rank in FDNY history, she's joining us as the FDNY Commissioner to bring her crisis leadership and operational expertise to this administration," Mamdani wrote on X Tuesday.
Bonsignore will be only the second woman to hold the position and the first openly gay person in the role.
Elon Musk criticized NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani over his FDNY commissioner pick this week. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
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Mamdani quickly responded to Musk on X, writing on Saturday, "Experience does matter, which is why I appointed the person who spent more than 30 years at EMS. You know, the workforce that addresses at least 70% of all calls coming into FDNY?"
Fox News Digital has reached out to the FDNY and Mamdani’s team for comment.
"I am honored, so honored, and humbled to stand before you as the new fire commissioner," Bonsignore said at a Tuesday news conference. "This appointment represents a significant responsibility, one I accept with humility, dedication and a deep sense of commitment to the city and its people."
Outgoing NYC Mayor Eric Adams also made his own FDNY commissioner appointment this week, FDNY First Deputy Commissioner Mark Guerra.
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"Under our administration, keeping New Yorkers safe and protected has always been our North Star, and having principled, qualified public servants in place to lead our critical public safety agencies is crucial to fulfilling that goal; there’s no person who meets those high standards (like) Commissioner Mark Guerra," Adams said Tuesday.
"Lillian’s light is one that can’t be dimmed by anything else that takes place," Mamdani said in response, according to FOX 5. "The mayor is free to continue to be the mayor until the end of this year and make decisions as such."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/elon-musk-warns-people-die-over-mamdanis-fdny-commissioner-pick-lillian-bonsignore