NYC’s Socialist Mayor Mamdani disagrees with Reagan, hits out at downtown shoppers

The mayor of the Socialist City of New York, Zohran Mamdani, is facing criticism for the words of former President Ronald Reagan, who warned about the dangers of big government.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist and New York’s first Muslim mayor, expressed his disagreement with the conservative president when he unveiled the first of his city-owned grocery stores in the Bronx.

“As I stand here this morning, I can’t help but remember the words of our 40th president, Ronald Reagan. He famously said nine shocking words in the English language, ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help,'” he said. “Good quote, but I disagree.”

Instead, Mamdani said, “I think the other nine words are really scary, ‘I’ve worked all day and I can’t feed my family.'”

He continued, “We will use the power of government to lower prices and make it easier for New Yorkers to put food on the table,” adding, “If the government understood its purpose as serving those working people who have been left behind, many times, it could make a difference in the most difficult struggles facing our city today.”

BISHOP BARRON CRASHES ‘BORDERLINE COMMONS’ SANDERS, MAMDANI BEFORE TRUMP’S PRAYER: ‘A DYING ECONOMY’

“It’s not just that the government can help, it’s that the government must help, and our government will help,” he continued.

Mamdani made his promise to open affordable, government-run grocery stores across the city a cornerstone of his campaign. He said Monday that the first location, a 20,000-square-foot store in the Bronx, will open in 2027.

This is the second of five promised stores to be officially announced. Mamdani previously announced an East Harlem location for a 9,000-square-foot Manhattan store, but that location will be built from the ground up and is expected to open in 2029.

Mamdani said the Bronx area, and the integrated development called “The Peninsula,” “will be visible proof that the government can do good, and that the government can implement changes that improve people’s lives.”

SOHLALAKATHI MADANI SENDS GOVERNMENT-MANAGED FOOD PROGRAM AS ‘MAJOR SCALE” IN NEW GROCERY WORLD

La Marqueta, a Latino marketplace in East Harlem, has been selected as the site of the first city-owned grocery store announced by NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, on April 14, 2026. (Kendall Rodriguez/Newsday RM/Getty Images)

Although the crowd was cheered by his announcement, Mamdani’s dig at Reagan earned him the scorn of conservatives online.

Conservative commentator Eric Daugherty posted on X: “What a HORRIBLE DISASTER! You think this will REALLY work.”

Daugherty accused the mayor of being a “FULL DERANGED MARXIST,” telling New Yorkers they were “preparing for total failure.”

Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet wrote in X that Mamdani “reversed Ronald Reagan’s warning,” writing that “his answer is government-run grocery stores that will use taxpayer benefits to reduce private competition.”

Jennifer Harrison, founder of the Victims Rights Reform Council, pointed out the ongoing problems of public transportation in New York City during the widespread strikes, writing about X, “Bc everything the government does, like the MTA, works very well for Nurses.”

DEM WHO WELCOME WELFARE MAYOR’S ‘CHANGE’ NOW SOUNDS ALARM OVER BILLION INFLOW: ‘VERY WORRIED’

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani reacts while being introduced at a union rally on Park Avenue in New York City on April 15, 2026. (Photo by Seth Wenig/AP)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM

Meanwhile, the GOP’s official X account retweeted the clip, calling Mamdani a “communist.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to Mamdani for comment.