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

Aug 04, 2026 04:36 AM - 2 hours ago 1

Topline

President Donald Trump and his friends wrongly accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of hypocrisy connected Monday, according to a Mamdani spokesperson, aft a clip went viral among MAGA circles showing a metropolis charismatic suggesting a strategy to guarantee stores were “focused connected mundane New Yorkers,” which was wide compared to the elector ID measure Trump zealously advocates for.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani holds up bananas arsenic he speaks astatine a nutrient distribution halfway connected July 27, 2026 successful the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

MAGA figures connected Monday circulated a days-old clip of Mamdani being asked really the metropolis would support group from taking advantage of the market stores, which will connection astir a 30% discount connected immoderate basal items compared to mean prices, successful which he said it was a “program for New Yorkers to beryllium capable to put nutrient connected the table, not a programme for group to beryllium capable to make a speedy subordinate done reselling.”

Mamdani past called New York City Economic Development Corporation caput Jeanny Pak to the podium to elaborate, and she said “we are looking to make judge that we target New Yorkers, whether it beryllium benignant of a room card-esque [system] and besides we negociate who’s buying and that is focused connected mundane New Yorkers.”

MAGA, seizing connected the opportunity to onslaught socialist Mamdani and beforehand the SAVE Act, alleged the comments meant that Democrats support ID for immoderate things, specified arsenic city-run market stores, but won’t support proof-of-citizenship to registry to vote.

“I wish they’d person an ID to entree the voting booth,” Trump said erstwhile asked astir Mamdani’s imaginable ID requirement, besides accusing the politician of having “a point wherever you had to person 2 different IDs to shovel snow.”

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

But the mayor’s agency told Forbes successful the aftermath of the backlash Monday that anyone tin shop astatine the stores, sloppy of residency aliases income, without presenting an ID, and Pak was referring to a loyalty-card programme of sorts that won’t beryllium tied to an ID aliases address.

Crucial Quote

“Comparisons to elector ID laws aliases the SAVE Act simply do not apply. This is not an recognition system, nor is it a system to verify who personification is, wherever they live, aliases really overmuch they earn. It is simply a applicable inventory guidance instrumentality to guarantee affordable groceries stay disposable for the group who request them alternatively of being cleared disconnected shelves for resale,” Mamdani spokesperson Cassio Mendoza said.

Tangent

Trump and his friends besides criticized Mamdani for requiring 2 forms of ID to participate successful the city’s emergency snow-shoveling programme earlier this year, though Mamdani pointed retired that the metropolis was simply complying pinch longstanding national employment verification rules.

Key Background

Trump has many times called connected the Senate to walk his elector ID legislation, known arsenic the SAVE Act, by immoderate intends necessary, including terminating the filibuster. In caller weeks, Trump has directed his ire astatine Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., though Thune has said his hands are tied arsenic the Senate does not person the 60 votes it needs to either walk the measure aliases destruct the request of 60 votes to extremity the filibuster. The SAVE Act would require voters to supply immoderate documentary impervious of citizenship to registry to ballot and a photograph ID to formed ballots. Critics of the authorities reason cases of noncitizens voting are highly uncommon and the measure would disenfranchise voters who would different beryllium eligible, simply because they don’t person the required documentation. First-time voters must supply immoderate shape of recognition to register, specified arsenic a Social Security number, driver’s licence aliases slope statement, varying by state, and are required to springiness a sworn connection verifying their citizenship. Elections officials past typically verify the applications utilizing authorities records and routinely update elector rolls.