Former New York City Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker is breaking his silence after abruptly resigning just hours following Zohran Mamdani’s stunning mayoral election win, revealing that it was the Democratic socialist’s campaign rhetoric on Israel that drove him out the door.

In a newly released clip from an upcoming CBS Mornings interview, Tucker — a Jewish philanthropist and longtime businessman — said he knew from day one that Mamdani’s worldview clashed with his own.

“I think the whole campaign really reflected that for me,” Tucker told host Tony Dokoupil when asked what triggered his departure.

Tucker pointed directly to his faith as a major factor, saying Mamdani’s anti-Israel remarks alienated him personally and could create significant tension between City Hall and the rank-and-file first responders he led.

The mayor-elect, a Muslim state legislator from Queens, has repeatedly blasted Israel’s war against Hamas and targeted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — rhetoric that has rattled many Jewish New Yorkers and pro-Israel public safety leaders. His campaign was propelled by endorsements from far-left groups aligned with Democratic Socialists of America.

Tucker, who served a little over a year as commissioner, submitted his resignation to Mayor Eric Adams less than 24 hours after Mamdani crushed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the November 4 election, a political upset that shook the city’s Democratic establishment.

Mamdani has vowed to reshape the NYPD and FDNY, railing against “bloated budgets” for public safety agencies and promising major overhauls to city emergency response spending. Within the FDNY, the prospect of a mayor openly aligned with anti-Israel activists and far-left critics of policing has sparked deep uncertainty, insiders say.

Tucker warned during the interview that Mamdani will have a “lot of work to do” if he expects to earn the trust of the first responders who keep the city safe.

Tucker will officially step down on December 19. He is expected to return to T&M USA, a New York–based private security firm he led for years. The company has operations in Israel and has provided security consulting for global Jewish communities. Tucker’s nomination to lead FDNY faced controversy last year after it surfaced that one T&M client — a billionaire tech mogul — had reportedly admitted to prior collaboration with Chinese intelligence.

Mamdani’s sweeping victory electrified New York’s socialist left but has alarmed many moderate Democrats, Jewish organizations, and law-enforcement unions wary of a mayor who supports defunding public safety budgets and has accused Israel of “apartheid.”

As Tucker exits with a sharp warning, New York’s 8 million residents brace for a new administration unlike any in its history — run by a mayor openly hostile to Israel and positioned to overhaul the city’s emergency services from the top down.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)