Trump says son Donald Jr. will repay Russian oligarch for wedding party

Oval Office response

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, 18 September 2026, President Donald Trump stated that his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., is paying back Russian businessman Umar Kremlev for expenses incurred during post-wedding festivities. Trump maintained that accepting such funding was permissible and compared the arrangement to customary hospitality among personal acquaintances. He also noted that he had hosted similar celebrations for acquaintances at his private Mar-a-Lago estate. Trump did not attend his son's wedding or the subsequent events in the Bahamas, explaining that negotiations regarding conflict in Iran required his presence in Washington. When asked about the propriety of the financial gift, the president defended his son's conduct.

It's totally allowed and a lot of people have parties, but as I understand it, he paid him back.

Wedding expenses in the Bahamas

The controversy follows an investigative report by ProPublica detailing how Kremlev financed several days of celebrations in the Bahamas in May 2026. The festivities marked the marriage of Donald Trump Jr. to Bettina Anderson following an intimate private ceremony attended by family members. Kremlev covered costs including the rental of private islands and pyrotechnics. A spokesperson for Trump Jr. stated that Kremlev is a personal friend met through the hunting community rather than a business partner. Anderson described the event on Instagram as a generous wedding gift from a friend for which the couple remains grateful.

Ties to the Russian government

Umar Kremlev serves as president of the International Boxing Association, an organization sponsored by Gazprom and one from which the International Olympic Committee previously severed ties. Kremlev, born Umar Lutfulloyev, is a former member of the Night Wolves motorcycle club and an associate of Alexey Rubezhnoi, the head of the Russian Presidential Security Service and deputy director of the Federal Protection Service. In April 2026, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded Kremlev the Order of Friendship. Records show that Trump Jr. appeared on stage with Kremlev in Istanbul in September 2025. Kremlev also accompanied Putin on an official state delegation to China shortly before the May wedding festivities took place.

Congressional inquiry and political reaction

The report generated immediate scrutiny from lawmakers on Capitol Hill, leading Democrats in the United States Congress to open an investigation. Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, called for an examination into any reciprocal arrangements tied to the funding.

Umar Kremlev spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the President's son. What did he get in return? We need answers.

Criticism also emerged from members of the Republican Party. Senator John Curtis of Utah released a video addressing the ethical implications of the financial transaction.

It just stinks. It's corruption, I don't like it. This is a serious matter.