Elon Musk slams Mamdani’s appointment on Lillian Bonsignore as FDNY commissioner over lack of experience: ‘People will die’
Elon Musk took to X last night to voice a sharp warning about a new appointment in New York City. The Tesla and Space X CEO said the mayor‑elect’s choice of Lillian Bonsignore as the next FDNY commissioner “could have deadly consequences,” adding, “People will die because of this.” Musk followed up with a second tweet: “Proven experience matters when lives are at stake.” The criticism comes after a short video clip showed Bonsignore, a former emergency‑medical‑technician who retired in 2022, never actually having put on a fire‑fighter uniform.
The decision to elevate the 31‑year‑old EMT to head America’s largest fire department was backed by the three unions representing the fire service, the police officer corps and the EMT corps. The FDNY will be led for the first time by a woman who is also openly gay. According to unions, she is the second woman overall to run the department and will bring a total of 30 years of EMS experience to the job.
Musk’s tweet gathered more than 22 million views in the first 17 hours on X, along with over 170 likes. The post sparked a flurry of responses. Megyn Kelly, the former lawyer and television personality, sent a quick retort that read, “Here we go again.” Meanwhile, retired NYPD Lt. John Macari stepped in to defend the appointment, noting that the last two commissioners named by mayor Eric Adams had “0 actual FDNY operational experience.” Macari, who co‑hosts the “New York’s Finest: Retired & Unfiltered Podcast,” also highlighted that the chief law‑enforcement officer, Jessica Tisch, has no police background, while Bonsignore has spent decades handling medical emergencies – the bulk of calls that firehouses respond to.
Laura Kavanagh, the first woman to serve as FDNY commissioner, posted a supportive comment on LinkedIn. She said: “When I was sworn in, I said it only meant something to be first if I wasn’t the last. I’m so happy I didn’t have to wait long for that to be the case.” Kavanagh, who led the department from February 2022 to August 2024 under Adams, reminded readers that she herself did not come from a firefighting background.
The official appointment will take effect once Mayor‑elect Zohran Mamdani is sworn in on January 1. In a related announcement, Mayor Adams named former interim commissioner Mark Guerra to serve for the final weeks of his administration, replacing Robert Tucker after the latter’s recent resignation. No replies have yet come from Bonsignore’s representatives or Mamdani’s office.
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