U.S. President Donald Trump said his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., has repaid Russian businessman Umar Kremlev after the Putin-linked oligarch helped fund post-wedding celebrations in the Bahamas, defending the arrangement as legal and “very common.”
Trump made the remarks during an exchange with reporters at the White House after being questioned about reports that Kremlev paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for two nights of celebrations following Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding to Bettina Anderson earlier this year. Trump said his son told him the money had been paid back, but did not explain how he knew the repayment had been made.
The controversy follows a ProPublica investigation that reported Kremlev financed major expenses for the three-day wedding festivities, including the rental of a private island in the Bahamas and an elaborate fireworks display. Bettina Anderson later confirmed on Instagram that Kremlev had hosted two nights of celebrations as what she described as “an extraordinarily generous wedding gift” from a close friend.
Trump defended the arrangement, saying it is “totally allowed” for friends to host wedding celebrations and argued that such gifts are common. He also said he personally has hosted wedding parties for other people in the past.
Donald Trump Jr.’s spokesperson has previously said Kremlev is a personal friend and that the two do not have a business relationship. Kremlev’s office has also said the pair have a friendly relationship dating back several years.
Kremlev is the president of the International Boxing Association (IBA), an organization funded by Russia’s state-backed Gazprom energy company. He has publicly appeared alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin, received Russia’s Order of Friendship, and has been identified in multiple media investigations as having close ties to the Kremlin.
Although Donald Trump Jr. is a private citizen and U.S. law does not prohibit him from accepting gifts from foreign nationals, ethics watchdog groups have argued that accepting an expensive gift from a businessman closely associated with the Russian government creates the appearance of a potential conflict of interest because of his close ties to the U.S. president.
The issue has also drawn congressional scrutiny. Democratic lawmakers have launched an investigation into Kremlev’s financial involvement in the wedding celebrations, seeking information about the source of the payments and whether they raise national security or ethics concerns.
The revelations have revived scrutiny of the Trump family’s longstanding connections to Russia, an issue that has remained politically sensitive since investigations into Russian contacts during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. The latest controversy comes as Washington continues diplomatic engagement with Moscow over international security issues and the war in Ukraine.
