President Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., enjoyed a lavish May wedding that was partially funded by Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev, according to a new report.
Mr. Kremlev, a Russian sports functionary and ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, bankrolled hundreds of thousands of dollars in wedding expenses, including renting a private island, paying for a fireworks show and having his team plan the event, ProPublica reported Monday.
The presidential son and socialite Bettina Anderson were married in a private wedding in the Bahamas at a three-day weekend event with 18 guests at the ceremony and 50 people at the reception.
The couple had their first dance on a second private island nearby, where guests also slept, which can be rented for about $100,000 a night — an expense paid by Mr. Kremlev, according to ProPublica.
Mr. Kremlev also paid for a fireworks display by a company that charges about $70,000 for such shows, ProPublica reported.
The newlywed Mrs. Trump said on social media that she and her husband got married “privately” while surrounded “ONLY by our family.”
She said the following weekend was never intended to be their wedding weekend, as it had been planned “well in advance as a fun weekend with friends.”
“When our original wedding plans changed, we simply decided to get married before it and arrived at an already planned weekend as newlyweds,” she added.
Mr. Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association, which Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom has funded, did not attend the ceremony, the groom’s spokesperson said.
Elena Sobol, head of presidential operations at Mr. Kremlev’s boxing group, attended the wedding.
Mr. Kremlev’s wedding funds moved through IB Challenger, a Dubai-based entity affiliated with the IBA, according to ProPublica.
Mr. Kremlev’s office said that the IBA chief and the president’s son have a “friendly relationship” and first met “a couple of years ago.”
A spokesperson for the president’s son said the newlyweds met through a mutual friend in the hunting world and bonded over their love of boxing and the outdoors. The spokesperson added that Mr. Kremlev is a “personal friend” who is “not someone he has a business relationship with.”
“Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding,” Mrs. Trump said. “It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful.”
“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,” she added. “Friendship doesn’t require a political motive. Generosity doesn’t automatically come with an agenda. And sometimes a wedding gift is simply a wedding gift.”
Forbes recently estimated Donald Trump Jr.’s net worth is roughly $300 million — a fortune that could have covered the cost of the wedding.
Mr. Kremlev’s press office said he has “never discussed political matters with any of his American friends and acquaintances,” including the president’s eldest son.
Mr. Kremlev has a close political and economic relationship with Mr. Putin, acting as a loyal ally who uses sports and business to advance Kremlin interests.
He has traveled as an official member of the Russian president’s inner circle and state delegations, such as a high-profile visit to China that included another Trump wedding guest, Alexander Lagutin, a businessperson who has served in senior roles at a Russian defense contractor and a state-backed energy company.
Mr. Kremlev’s office said specifically that Mr. Kremlev was not a part of the “official delegation.”
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.