Mamdani Hits Back At Musk Over Criticism Of FDNY Chief Pick | EUROtoday

New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D) challenged Elon Musk for claiming that individuals will “die” over his appointment of a non-firefighter as the brand new head of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY).

“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 wrote in response to Musk in an X submit Saturday.

Mamdani’s remarks got here after the tech billionaire condemned the self-proclaimed democratic socialist’s determination to nominate Lillian Bonsignore in a Friday X submit.

“People will die because of this. Proven experience matters when lives are at stake,” Musk wrote alongside a clip of Mamdani saying Bonsignore’s new position.

Last week, Mamdani appointed Bonsignore, a FDNY veteran who helmed Emergency Medical Services Operations earlier than retiring from the division in 2022, as FDNY commissioner. She is the second girl to carry the place and the division’s first brazenly LGBTQ+ commissioner.

Bonsignore can be the primary girl to realize a 4-star rank in FDNY historical past, Mamdani mentioned in a separate X submit celebrating her new place.

Ahead of Musk’s criticism, Bonsignore instructed NBC New York, “I know the job. I know what the firefighters need, and I can translate that to this administration who’s willing to listen.”

Mamdani’s staff and the FDNY didn’t instantly reply to HuffPost’s requests for remark.

Musk has launched assaults on Mamdani up to now throughout his mayoral marketing campaign.

Appearing on an Oct. 31 episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the Tesla CEO referred to Mamdani as a “charismatic swindler.”

“I mean you gotta hand it to him, like, he can light up a stage, but he has just been a swindler his entire life,” he added.

Musk additionally claimed that Mamdani’s insurance policies will put New Yorkers’ high quality of life in jeopardy.

“If Mamdani’s policies are put into place, especially at scale, it would be a catastrophic decline in living standards, not just for the rich, but for everyone. As has been the case with every socialist experiment,” he added.

Mamdani has floated insurance policies like rising the minimal wage to $30 an hour, freezing hire and making a community of city-owned grocery shops.