Trump's Indian-origin nominee makes misleading statement about Roosevelt Hotel

• Ramaswamy's political and financial statement is biased.
• New York City mayor acquired the Roosevelt Hotel on rent.
• Remark indicates future difficulties surrounding Roosevelt Hotel.

NEW YORK: Indian-American entrepreneur and politician Vivek Ganapathy Ramaswamy has made a biased remark, drawing attention to the Roosevelt Hotel in New York, owned by PIA Investment.

It should be noted that, Ramaswamy, a close friend of Vice President-elect JD Vance, was chosen by US President-elect Donald Trump to enhance the performance of the US administration, The News reported on Monday.

Since the administration of Eric Adams, the New York City mayor, not only acquired the Roosevelt Hotel on rent to house illegal immigrants, but also more than 100 other small and large hotels within the city limits to meet the requirement for 14,000 rooms, therefore Ramaswamy's political and financial statement is biased. Foreign and non-American corporations, including Air India and the Indian Taj Group, own a number of these hotels.

Ramaswamy, before labelling the Roosevelt Hotel as owned by the Pakistani government, should have researched all facts about this hotel before determining the direction of his political statement and its practical purposes.

In his statement, he attempted to create the impression that New York City is paying a rent of $220 million to the Pakistani government for the said hotel. In fact, the hotel is owned by PIA Investment, which is a semi-governmental corporation, and the three-year $220 million dollars lease would only generate $18 million in cash for the PIA Investment upon completion of the lease, which began on May 15, 2023.

Had Ramaswamy reviewed the terms and conditions before issuing his biased political statement, he would have faced difficulty in making such claims. The Indian-American man has yet to take his oath of office, and his position involves taking steps to improve the federal government’s performance.

Commentary on state finance, performance, or municipal (city) government revenues and expenditures is not part of his responsibilities. However, he and his boss, Elon Musk, have the right to offer opinions or objections regarding the grants and funds provided by the federal government to these state and municipal governments.

This statement from Ramaswamy, who was born to Indian immigrant parents in Ohio, is actually an indication of the future difficulties and complexities surrounding the Roosevelt Hotel, revealing how different parties are lying in wait to strike.