New York City’s neophyte Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, used a famous quote by our 40th President, Ronald Reagan, to attempt to score a political point. For that bit of political misdirection, Mayor Mamdani will forever be haunted by the ghost of Ronaldus Maximus, and deservedly so.

“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help.”

President Ronald Reagan

Mayor Mamdani, the smiling Nepo Baby, was standing in South Bronx flanked by union members when he announced the first city-owned grocery store will open in 2027. 2027? Sounds like something the government would build.

If you didn’t hear about this blasphemy, this is from the Daily Caller News Foundation:

Democratic New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani flipped a famous Ronald Reagan quote on its head to justify government-controlled grocery stores in a Monday speech.

The former anti-communist Republican president was wrong to say in 1986 that “the nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help,’” Mamdani told supporters while announcing an upcoming city-run grocery store in the Bronx. “The power of government” will help deliver New Yorkers from the city’s economic woes, the self-proclaimed democratic socialist mayor said.

“It’s a good quote, but I disagree,” Mamdani said of Reagan. “I think nine more terrifying words are actually, ‘I worked all day and can’t feed my family.’”

“We are going to use the power of government to lower prices and make it easier for New Yorkers to put food on the table,” Mamdani continued. “When government understands its purpose as serving the very working people that it has left behind time and again, it can make a difference in the most pressing struggles facing our city today. It’s not just that government can help, it’s that government must help, and our government will help.”

Ugh! Besides Mayor Mamdani being slippery and misusing the Reagan quote, he doesn’t understand the United States Government. If working people get left behind, it’s because the government is taxing them too much. The government’s purpose is to protect individual rights.

Our fabulous Carol posted this on her Americanist site:

Ronald Reagan warned America about people exactly like Zohran Mamdani. 🇺🇸☕ pic.twitter.com/r5ldnl9QLz

— Carol Marks, An Americanist (@CarolReMarks) May 19, 2026

We Americans do want smaller government and lower blood pressure!

There are those who work all day and cannot feed their families. Probably because in the name of “helping”, they are forced to subsidize all kinds of things that don’t help them. Right?

Zohran Mamdani: "[Ronald Reagan] famously said 'The nine most terrifying words in the English language are 'I’m from the government and I’m here to help'…I disagree."

The actual nine most terrifying words: "I'm a literal communist and I'm here to help." pic.twitter.com/9vjMbWg5Ui

— Young Americans for Liberty (@YALiberty) May 18, 2026

Some people born across the sea come to the United States and embrace its promise. Some, like Zohran Mamdani born in Uganda and steeped in Communism, never grow and do not embrace the bold promise of our experiment.

Do you wonder if Mamdani studied grocery store best practices and understands the profit margins (1-3%)? We have seen no indication that he studied them, consults with someone who has studied them, or even cares. Communist/Socialist grocery stores are never well run. New York City taxpayers will end up bailing out these Mamdani Bodegas. By the way, the Mamdani Bodegas will put independent stores out of business and lower the tax base.

When Ronald Reagan made this famous quote:

“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help.”

We were

being suffocated by Carter-era “stagflation” — a toxic mix of double-digit inflation and high unemployment. Reagan didn’t use big-government handouts; he crushed inflation from 13.5% down to 4.1%. He slashed the astronomical 21.5% prime interest rate in half, sparked a 92-month peacetime economic expansion, and oversaw the creation of over 16 million new jobs.

Reagan’s supply-side miracle didn’t just help the wealthy; it lifted everyone. Real median family income rose by 12.6%, and poverty rates plummeted. Minority communities thrived, with black unemployment at a near all-time low and black-owned businesses expanding by nearly 38%. being suffocated by Carter-era “stagflation” — a toxic mix of double-digit inflation and high unemployment. Reagan didn’t use big-government handouts; he crushed inflation from 13.5% down to 4.1%. He slashed the astronomical 21.5% prime interest rate in half, sparked a 92-month peacetime economic expansion, and oversaw the creation of over 16 million new jobs.

Reagan’s supply-side miracle didn’t just help the wealthy; it lifted everyone. Real median family income rose by 12.6%, and poverty rates plummeted. Minority communities thrived, with black unemployment at a near all-time low and black-owned businesses expanding by nearly 38%.

Don’t let Mamdani’s smile fool you. He does not understand economics or history. Ronald Reagan is going to haunt him BIG TIME.
I will enjoy that haunting.

Featured Image: Super Grok/X/Public Domain