Conservative Critics Attack NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Over False Grocery Store ID Claims

Conservative leaders and political commentators quickly lashed out after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani provided details about his plan to open affordable, city-owned grocery stores. They alleged the stores would require ID, making Democrats’ widespread opposition to President Donald Trump’s signature voter ID law hypocritical.

The only problem, according to city officials, is that the stores won’t require ID at all.

“Insane this even needs to be said, but to be absolutely clear: NYC Grocery stores will be open to everyone,” Mamdani press secretary Joe Calvello wrote on X on Monday. “There will be no system to verify identity, residency or income, and no one will be asked to show ID to shop.”

“We’re talking about a city-run grocery store — which, by the way, you do not need an ID to shop at, no matter what you’ve heard in the news of today,” Mamdani added on The Joy Reid Show.

The brouhaha began when right-leaning social media users latched onto a clip from last week where Mamdani laid out details about his grocery store plan, which will open five city-owned stores offering 30 percent off of essential groceries across New York City’s five boroughs beginning in 2027.

“So you need a valid ID to shop at Mandami’s government grocery stores to make sure the system isn’t taken advantage of,” Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy wrote on social media. “But the same people who love this idea will also scream racism if you say you need a valid ID to vote so the system doesn’t get taken advantage of.”

“Mamdani’s going to require an ID check for his grocery stores, but thinks it’s racist to require one for federal elections?!?” Sen. Rick Scott of Florida wrote on X. “We HAVE to pass the SAVE America Act to end this corruption!”

“Oh, the irony is too much …” added Elon Musk in a separate X post.

Musk, ironically, appeared to work in the U.S. illegally while on a student visa early in his career, The Washington Post reported. Musk denies this and claims he “ transitioned” onto an employment visa.

The anger stemmed from a comment from Jeanny Pak, the chief financial officer at New York City Economic Development Corporation, who said at a press conference alongside Mamdani that the city would “target New Yorkers” with a “a library-card-esque system” after being asked how the city would prevent people from hoarding groceries or coming in from outside of New York to buy them.

“The only card we'll have is a voluntary savings card like they have at any typical supermarket,” Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec later wrote on X.

The Trump administration’s SAVE America Act would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID on voting day itself.

Experts estimate that the bill could stop millions of people from voting, given that about 21 million people lack ready access to the necessary proof documents such as passports and birth certificates, according to the Brennan Center.

Voting as a non-citizen is already illegal, and states use a range of methods to verify someone’s legal eligibility to vote, including ID.

“There is no evidence that noncitizen voting has ever been significant enough to impact an election’s outcome,” according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.