Russian oligarch paid for parts of Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding celebration, report says
(WASHINGTON) — A Russian oligarch with ties to President Vladimir Putin allegedly contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars for events around Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding to Bettina Anderson earlier this year, according to a report from ProPublica published Monday, with Anderson not disputing the “gift.”
The president’s son held his May wedding at an exclusive island in the Bahamas, with the oligarch — Umar Kremlev — footing a large portion of the bill for the events later that weekend, according to records reviewed by ProPublica, as well as three people familiar with the event who spoke with the outlet.
ABC News has not independently confirmed the details of the ProPublica report.
Kremlev covered expenses including renting out a private island and paying for a firework show, according to the ProPublica report. Payments for the expenses allegedly came from an entity affiliated with the controversial International Boxing Association — where Kremlev serves as president.
When ABC News asked about the report, the White House and a spokesperson for Donald Trump Jr. pointed to a recent Instagram post from his new wife, Anderson, which does not dispute that Kremlev paid for part of the post-wedding celebrations, but stressed their wedding ceremony was attended “ONLY by our family.”
“Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding. It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful,” Anderson wrote in her post.
“It’s unfortunate that something so personal and happy can be recast as something political or sinister simply because of who someone is or where they come from,” Anderson continued.
“So, for anyone determined not to let the facts get in the way of a good story: NO CONSPIRACY, NO MYSTERY,” said Anderson, who added that the weekend celebrations were initially planned to be a “fun weekend with friends,” but when plans “changed,” they decided to get married before the trip and celebrate as newlyweds.
In response to detailed questions from ProPublica, the outlet said that a spokesperson for Trump Jr. also did not dispute the payments from Kremlev.
“Umar is a personal friend of Don,” the spokesperson told ProPublica.
It’s not clear why Kremlev paid for parts of Trump Jr.’s wedding celebration.
ProPublica reported that Kremlev had recently traveled to China as part of the delegation accompanying Putin, and that Putin had recently awarded him the state honor of the Order of Friendship.
The Russian government and Putin have led coordinated campaigns to interfere in U.S. elections in both 2016 and 2020, according to national security reports.
While Trump Jr. leads the Trump business empire with his brother, Eric Trump, he still has major influence inside his father’s political orbit — including pushing for his friend, JD Vance, to be named as Trump’s running mate for 2024.
The spokesperson told ProPublica that Kremlev is “not someone he has a business relationship with” and that the men met through a mutual friend in the hunting world and bonded over their love of boxing and the outdoors.Kremlev’s press office told ProPublica that “Mr. Kremlev and Mr. Trump Jr have a friendly relationship” and they first met “a couple of years ago.” ABC News has also reached out to Kremlev for comment.
The intimate guest list for the celebration made the presence of Kremlev, among a “large group” of other Russian guests, puzzling for attendees, according to ProPublica.
President Donald Trump notably did not attend Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding, posting on social media that “circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America” prevented him from joining the celebration in the Bahamas. He had also canceled his originally planned travel to his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club and remained in Washington that weekend.
The day prior, Trump said he was going to “try and make it” and noted that it was a “small, little private affair” — though he said the event is “not good timing” for him given his responsibilities surrounding the war in Iran.
“I said, ‘You know, this is not good timing for me. I have a thing called Iran and other things,'” Trump had said in the Oval Office in May.
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