“Government Isn’t Good at Grocery Stores”: CNN Grills Mamdani On Socialist Plan For Government-Run Supermarkets [VIDEO]

Mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani (D) came under fire Friday night on CNN as anchor Abby Phillip pressed him on his controversial plan to open five government-run grocery stores in New York City — one in each borough — a taxpayer-funded experiment critics say is doomed to repeat the failures seen in other U.S. cities.

Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, insisted the program could work. “There have been studies that show the applicability of taxpayer-funded grocery stores in major cities like Chicago,” he told Phillip. “This is something I believe will work. We will bring the best and the brightest to deliver it.”

But Phillip quickly shot back. “Another example is in Kansas City, where they had a government-run grocery store. It opened in 2018, received nearly $18 million in taxpayer funding, and it’s already on the verge of closing,” Phillip said. “They’ve been riddled with crime, they’ve dealt with a lack of inventory. Frankly, the government is not that good at being in the business of grocery stores.”

Mamdani brushed off the Kansas City example, calling it a reason to “prove excellence, not abandon the idea.” “For every one example that you can point to,” Mamdani argued, “there’s another municipality today considering opening a city-run grocery store. The most important thing is the outcome.”

He pegged the cost of the proposal at $60 million, which he described as “less than half the city’s already spending on subsidized corporate supermarkets.”

But critics warned that Mamdani was ignoring the very real failures elsewhere.

“Taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to bankroll an experiment that’s already failed in Kansas City,” one New York business leader told CNN after the segment. “If Mamdani wants to prove socialism works, he can do it with his own money — not ours.”

Even Phillip, who pressed him throughout, wasn’t convinced. “You’re proposing something that’s already failed in practice,” she said. “Why should New Yorkers believe your plan won’t collapse the same way?”

Mamdani held his ground. “I’m optimistic our government-run stores will not suffer the same fate,” he replied. “This is about feeding New Yorkers and proving a better system is possible.”