Gristedes Supermarkets CEO John Catsimatidis had harsh words Thursday for Zohran Mamdani and the city-owned grocery stores the New York City mayoral candidate has been proposing.
While appearing on “America Reports,” Catsimatidis called Mamdani a “great guy” but said the mayoral candidate “doesn’t know what the heck he’s talking about” and “knows nothing about business.”
“He is a created character, and we have the highest cost in the country, highest energy cost, highest transportation cost. We even have congestion pricing, union costs,” Catsimatidis said of the Big Apple.
Mamdani has said he will set up government-owned grocery stores in New York City as part of a broader platform he is campaigning on.
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His campaign website says the city should “redirect public money” from large chains to city-owned stores “focused on keeping prices low.”
Under Mamdani’s proposal, the government-owned grocery stores would “buy and sell at wholesale prices, centralize warehousing and distribution” and pursue local product sourcing while providing savings to residents, his website said.
Catsimatidis argued the city government “will end up going broke” if Mamdani creates city-owned grocery stores.
“You’re going to end up like Havana,” the Gristedes Supermarkets CEO said. “I was there in Havana with Fidel Castro. The shelves were empty. He promised the world to the people. He says, ‘Get rid of Batista, and things will be great.’ Well, it was all one big lie.”
Catsimatidis also pushed back on Mamdani seemingly accusing private grocery stores of engaging in price-gouging.
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“We’re paying the highest taxes in the world. Give us the incentives, and we’ll lower the prices,” he said. “Get rid of the real estate taxes, we’ll lower the prices.
“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Catsimatidis added. “He is promising the people the world, and it’s all a bunch of — how does Trump say it? — a bunch of crap. God forbid this guy wins.”
Mamdani won the New York City Democratic mayoral primary late last month.
He has run on a platform that includes economic policies aligned with left-wing progressives and socialists in the Democratic Party, such as a $30 minimum wage, tax hikes on businesses and the rich and other policies, like imposing a rent freeze for stabilized tenants.
Asked if he would remain living in New York City if Mamdani won the general election, Catsimatidis said, “You never know.”
“Maybe I’ll live in New York for less than 185 days a year. But the people in Florida, they’re saying, ‘Come on down.’ Texas, they’re saying, ‘Come on down.’ The blue states have to realize that they have to compete with the rest of the country, and they’re not understanding that,” Catsimatidis said.
He added that he’s “waiting to see” what Democratic leaders like New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries “are going to do” with Mamdani.
FOX Business reached out to Mamdani’s campaign for comment on the CEO’s remarks.
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The general election for New York City’s mayor is about 3½ months away. A number of other candidates are also running, including Eric Adams, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa.
Roughly 8.48 million people lived in the Big Apple as of July 2024, according to the New York City government.
Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
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