Elon Musk took to his social media site on Friday to decry New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s pick to lead the city’s fire department, claiming that she couldn’t do the job. the commissioner-to-be, Lillian Bonsignore, is a 31-year FDNY veteran who led the department’s emergency medical services during the Covid-19 pandemic. She will be the second woman to hold the position and the first openly gay person to lead the department.
That was enough for Musk to weigh in. “People will die because of this,” he wrote, adding, “Proven experience matters when lives are at stake.”
As Gothamist reported, before her retirement in 2022, Bonsignore was both the highest-ranking uniformed woman in FDNY history and the first woman to achieve a four-star rank. At the press conference announcing her appointment, Mamdani praised Bonsignore, saying that “her record speaks for itself,” before detailing her career in the city that spanned from before 9/11 through the worst of the pandemic.
“I know the job,” Bonsignore said this week. “I know what the firefighters need, and I can translate that to this governance that is willing to listen. I know what EMS needs. I have been EMS for 30-plus years.”
Musk is the richest person on the planet and a rabid opponent of diversity, equity, and inclusion measures, or DEI. He appeared to be claiming that the new head of the FDNY was a diversity hire. He’s written: “Time for DEI to DIE,” “DEI has caused people to DIE,” “DEI is a Civil Rights Act violation,” “DEI kills art,” “## Elon Musk Criticizes NYC Ballot Design While Past Actions Draw Scrutiny
Recent commentary from Elon Musk regarding New York city’s mayoral election ballot has sparked renewed attention to his past dealings with federal funding and their potential impact on the city’s first responders.Musk, who criticized the ballot’s design on social media, has simultaneously faced scrutiny over actions taken by his former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that threatened funding for cancer research benefiting FDNY firefighters.
Musk posted on X (formerly Twitter) on November 4, 2025, claiming the NYC ballot was a “scam” due to a lack of ID requirements, repeated candidate listings, and the placement of former Governor Andrew cuomo’s name. This criticism came after Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary for mayor, leading Cuomo to launch an independent bid for the office. The original reporting on this issue by Mother Jones details the context of Cuomo’s independent run.
However, Musk’s critique of the election process is juxtaposed with past actions that drew criticism from the FDNY. In February 2025, DOGE attempted to cancel a $257,000 contract supporting cancer research related to 9/11 first responders. CBS News reported that the FDNY confirmed researchers working on a career firefighter health study received notice of the contract termination from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The contract was later restored following public outcry. This funding was intended to support research into illnesses contracted by firefighters responding to the World Trade Center attacks.
The current NYC mayoral race saw Zohran Mamdani ultimately win the election. During his announcement of Laura Bonsignore as FDNY commissioner,Mamdani praised first responders as “the heroes of our five boroughs,” emphasizing their dedication and the importance of having a leader who understands their work, specifically referencing Bonsignore’s prior experience.
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