The Indian government bought two units in a New York City apartment building developed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, but it did so in 2002, well before Mr. Trump’s political ascendancy, The Hindu has learnt. The Trump World Tower and other properties came into focus recently when Democratic party staff from the U.S. House of Representatives published an extensive report detailing foreign government spending on Trump properties during his presidency.
The Trump World Tower apartment units were purchased in December 2002 by the NDA government led by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations said. A senior diplomat who was posted to the UN at this time separately confirmed to The Hindu that the apartment unit was bought around then, and that Mr. Trump was not a factor in the purchase. The Permanent Mission refused to disclose the units’ purchase price, but a New York Times report from 2002 said that a small two-bedroom flat was sold at an average of $1.5 million.
The U.S. House of Representatives’ staff report, White House for Sale: How Princes, Prime Ministers, and Premiers Paid Off President Trump, notes that the Indian government had paid $264,184 in “common charges” for the Trump World Tower. While the report says that the apartment units were owned “throughout the Trump presidency,” it does not mention that they were purchased in 2002, and continue to be owned by India.
Permanent Representative’s residence
The senior diplomat told The Hindu that these units served as the ‘residence’ of the diplomatic mission, where the Permanent Representative lives and hosts receptions. Until the Trump World Tower units were bought, the Permanent Representative was staying in a leased accommodation on the city’s Park Avenue, but this property was given up, necessitating a hunt for a new property.
Finance Ministry officials flew regularly to New York to oversee the property search, which was done through an intermediary, the diplomat said; Mr. Trump was not personally involved. The scrutiny from the Finance Ministry and the External Affairs Ministry’s financial advisor had actually contributed to a “delay” in acquiring the property, the diplomat said.
The Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations is just one kilometre away from the Trump World Tower. In 2003, the New York City government sued the Indian mission, along with Mongolia’s, for overdue property taxes, from which India claimed immunity. The case was decided in New York City’s favour in the Supreme Court, but the U.S. State Department later issued a notice that foreign missions were exempt from local property taxes.
