New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani‘s latest appointment for chief of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) has drawn the ire of Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Mamdani has appointed openly gay LGBTQ activist Lilian Bonsignore as the new FDNY chief, to which Musk remarked that the move could put people’s lives at risk.

‘Lives are at stake’

Reacting to Mamdani’s announcement post, Musk said, “People will die because of this. Proven experience matters when lives are at stake.”

Criticism also poured in from other corners with conservative Infowars talk-show host Breanna Morello saying, “Only problem is…she’s never been a firefighter. Word of advice, you can’t put out fires with rainbow flags.”

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Mamdani responds to criticism

Mamdani, who is set to take office on January 1, did not take the criticism lightly. Responding to Musk’s concerns, he replied that he was aware of the importance of experience.

“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?” Mamdani replied.

Mamdani’s past appointments

This is not the first time Mamdani’s appointment choices have made headlines. In the recent past, NYC’s youngest to-be Mayor has been questioned over his rather unique choices.

Most recently, Mamdani’s move to induct children’s video educator Rachel Griffin Accurso, known to child viewers on YouTube as ‘Ms Rachel’ caught people’s attention for her vocal pro-Palestinian stance. Mamdani himself has been accused of harbouring anti-Israel views on several occasions.

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Moreover, several other team members have previously attracted media attention for various reasons, raising questions about the overall composition of the team and the potential implications of their collective perspectives.

Mysonne Linen, a Bronx-born rapper-turned-activist with a felony conviction for armed robbery, was also added to Mamdani’s transition team.

Linen had been appointed by Mamdani to be a part of the team’s public safety and criminal justice committees.

Mamdani had faced considerable backlash for the appointment. Critics like ‘Jews Fight Back’ on X had labelled the move to be “insane”, while law enforcement and conservatives decried putting a convicted robber in charge of crime strategy.

“New York City is being handed over to radicals, extremists and outright terrorists…Watch this space. This is going to get even uglier,” the group said.

Mamdani will succeed outgoing Mayor Eric Adams on January 1, 2026.