Elon Musk has blunt response to Mamdani's grocery discount plan

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's socialist policies have often provoked the wealthy class, and this time, his plan for the residents to access discounted groceries has triggered Elon Musk, the world's wealthiest individual.

The contrast between the two personalities is unmissable.

While Musk is a firm believer in capitalism, Mamdani believes it has proven to be a failure and only socialism can fix the American economy.

The Democrat has been highly critical of the corporate influence on politics and taken part in the "Tesla Takedown" protest to challenge the billionaire's influence in the wake of his de facto leadership role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) during the second Donald Trump administration.

Zohran Mamdani poses with a supporter as demonstrators rally against Tesla CEO Elon Musk during a "Tesla Takedown" protest outside a Tesla Store in New York on March 29, 2025.

Getty Images

While Musk has often hailed cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and Dogecoin (DOGE) for offering economic independence, Mamdami—though he hasn't articulated a clear crypto policy—sharply criticized his electoral rival Andrew Cuomo for advising a foreign crypto exchange which was facing a probe.

Related: Elon Musk warns America will 1,000% go bankrupt and fail as a country

Mamdani's grocery plan triggers Musk

On Aug. 3, angel investor Jason Calacanis lashed out at Mamdani's discounted groceries plan, and Elon Musk joined the conversation on X to call the mayor "a thief and a liar."

Grocery stores already run on low profit margins and the New York City administration is asking businesses to submit requests for proposals (RFPs) so that the government pays companies to discount groceries, Calacanis blasted Mamdami.

"These folks have no idea how to run a business, have never run a business," he decried.

Responding to the post, Musk called Mamdani "a thief and a liar" and said what they're doing won’t matter.

The tech tycoon reiterated his view that artificial intelligence (AI) and robots will be very productive, and there will be plenty of goods and services for everyone.

What they’re doing won’t matter. AI & robots will actually deliver the free goods & services that those thieves pretend to offer, while actually stealing from others. Mamdani is a thief and a liar, plain and simple.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 3, 2026

However, the global AI race among top countries like the United States and China could lead to the currency debasement crisis as countries print more and more fiat currency to fund the AI dreams—a concern Musk shares.

While the "fake" fiat currency can be printed endlessly, Bitcoin, based on energy, cannot be faked, Musk once argued. 

True. That is why Bitcoin is based on energy: you can issue fake fiat currency, and every government in history has done so, but it is impossible to fake energy.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 14, 2025

There is no cap on the amount of U.S. dollar bills that can be printed, and it leads to currency debasement. But Bitcoin has a limited supply of 21 million coins, so it remains a valuable asset, Bitcoin believers like Musk claim.

Musk's companies, Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) and SpaceX (Nasdaq: SPCX), hold Bitcoin on their balance sheets. While the former holds 11,509 BTC, the latter holds 18,712 BTC.

Musk personally also holds Bitcoin, his father once revealed in an interview in April this year.

At press time, Bitcoin was trading at $63,862.98.

Related: Analyst compares SpaceX, Palantir to Bitcoin