'The irony is too much,' Elon Musk declared, as a storm of online criticism erupted over claims that New York City's new taxpayer-subsidised supermarkets would demand ID checks at the door. Within hours, Mayor Zohran Mamdani's office was forced to step in and insist there would be no mandatory identification, no residency proof and no membership cards required to buy discounted food.
The sudden uproar followed initial reports suggesting that residents would need to present a form of identification or a membership card to access discounted food at the city-owned shops.
