Mamdani’s Office Denies There Will ID Requirement For City-Owned Grocery Stories— After MAGA Erupts

Topline

President Donald Trump and his allies wrongly accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of hypocrisy on Monday, according to a Mamdani spokesperson, after a clip went viral among MAGA circles showing a city official suggesting a system to ensure stores were “focused on everyday New Yorkers,” which was widely compared to the voter ID bill Trump zealously advocates for.

Key Facts

MAGA figures on Monday circulated a days-old clip of Mamdani being asked how the city would keep people from taking advantage of the grocery stores, which will offer about a 30% discount on some essential items compared to average prices, in which he said it was a “program for New Yorkers to be able to put food on the table, not a program for people to be able to make a quick buck through reselling.”

Mamdani then called New York City Economic Development Corporation head Jeanny Pak to the podium to elaborate, and she said “we are looking to make sure that we target New Yorkers, whether it be sort of a library card-esque [system] and also we manage who’s buying and that is focused on everyday New Yorkers.”

MAGA, seizing on the opportunity to attack socialist Mamdani and promote the SAVE Act, alleged the comments meant that Democrats support ID for some things, such as city-run grocery stores, but won’t support proof-of-citizenship to register to vote.

“I wish they’d have an ID to access the voting booth,” Trump said when asked about Mamdani’s potential ID requirement, also accusing the mayor of having “a thing where you had to have two different IDs to shovel snow.”

Elon Musk tweeted, “Oh, the irony is too much,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., wrote “it’s not just ironic, it’s hypocritical!” and former Los Angeles Republican mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt tweeted, “Racist Commie Mamdani is going to make you show ID in his markets. You want your government-subsidized arugula? Show your papers! Ask for ID to vote? BIGOT!!!”

But the mayor’s office told Forbes in the wake of the backlash Monday that anyone can shop at the stores, regardless of residency or income, without presenting an ID, and Pak was referring to a loyalty-card program of sorts that won’t be tied to an ID or address.

Crucial Quote

“Comparisons to voter ID laws or the SAVE Act simply do not apply. This is not an identification system, nor is it a mechanism to verify who someone is, where they live, or how much they earn. It is a practical inventory management tool to ensure affordable groceries remain available for the people who need them instead of being cleared off shelves for resale,” Mamdani spokesperson Cassio Mendoza said.

Tangent

Trump and his allies also criticized Mamdani for requiring two forms of ID to participate in the city’s emergency snow-shoveling program earlier this year, though Mamdani pointed out that the city was simply complying with longstanding federal employment verification rules.

Key Background

Trump has repeatedly called on the Senate to pass his voter ID legislation, known as the SAVE Act, by any means necessary, including terminating the filibuster. In recent weeks, Trump has directed his ire at Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., though Thune has said his hands are tied as the Senate does not have the 60 votes it needs to either pass the bill or eliminate the requirement of 60 votes to end the filibuster. The SAVE Act would require voters to provide some documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and a photo ID to cast ballots. Critics of the legislation argue cases of noncitizens voting are extremely rare and the bill would disenfranchise voters who would otherwise be eligible, simply because they don’t have the required documentation. First-time voters must provide some form of identification to register, such as a Social Security number, driver’s license or bank statement, varying by state, and are required to give a sworn statement verifying their citizenship. Elections officials then typically verify the applications using government records and routinely update voter rolls.

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