Donald Trump Jr.’s recent spouse, Bettina, has revealed that a portion of their wedding celebrations in May was funded by an individual closely connected to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In an Instagram post shared on Monday morning, co-signed by the couple, Bettina Trump described Umar Kremlev as a “dear friend” who “kindly hosted two remarkable nights of festivities for us AFTER our wedding.”
“This was an exceptionally generous wedding gift from a friend, and we are profoundly thankful for it,” she added.
ProPublica, an investigative nonprofit website, reported earlier on Monday that the wedding of Trump Jr. and socialite Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas received substantial financial backing from Kremlev, a Russian oligarch and head of the International Boxing Association. ProPublica disclosed that Kremlev “covered hundreds of thousands of dollars in wedding expenses,” which included the rental of one of two private islands where the three-day celebration took place, along with a fireworks display.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, listens to Umar Kremlev during the opening ceremony of the International Moscow Cup, in September 2022. (Gavriil Grigorov/Pool/Sputnik/Reuters)
In her post, Bettina Trump stated that she and the president’s son were wed in a private ceremony “surrounded ONLY by our family.”
“The weekend that followed was originally planned long before as a fun gathering with friends. It was never meant to serve as our wedding weekend. When our initial wedding plans changed, we chose to get married beforehand and simply joined the already scheduled weekend as newlyweds,” she explained.
“It is unfortunate that something so personal and joyful can be portrayed as political or sinister due to an individual’s identity or background. Friendship does not necessitate a political agenda. Generosity does not inherently have ulterior motives. Sometimes, a wedding gift is just that—a wedding gift.”
Putin awarded Kremlev the Order of Friendship in Moscow on April 22. (Kristina Solovyova/Pool/Sputnik/Reuters)
Kremlev recognized by Putin
This generous gift comes amid ongoing conflict in Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, as the president has yet to facilitate the promised peace agreement between the two countries.
Kremlev was recently awarded the Order of Friendship by Putin, as reported by the International Boxing Association, and he was part of a Russian delegation that accompanied Putin to China, according to Chinese state media cited by the organization.
Trump Jr. has faced scrutiny regarding his connections to Russia in the past. During the 2016 election campaign, his meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower drew significant attention from federal and congressional investigators examining whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to interfere in the election.
This meeting was promoted as an opportunity to discuss potentially damaging information about then-Democratic opponent Hillary Rodham Clinton, as part of the Russian government’s efforts to aid Trump Jr.’s father in winning the presidency.