Donald Trump Jr Wife Bettina Responds to Putin Ally Funding Their Wedding - Newsweek
Bettina Anderson, the wife of Donald Trump Jr., responded to a report that a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin paid for a large part of their wedding, saying his money covered a separate celebration and not the wedding itself.
A ProPublica investigation published Sunday reported that Umar Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association and a close associate of Putin, covered hundreds of thousands of dollars in wedding expenses for the couple, including renting a private island and a fireworks show, paid through a Dubai-based entity linked to the IBA.
"Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding," Anderson wrote in a lenghty Instagram post on Monday, calling it "an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful."
She pushed back on the idea that Kremlev's involvement carried any political dimension. "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 wrote.
"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."
Calling the report "fake news," Anderson wrote, "NO CONSPIRACY, NO MYSTERY," and said she and Trump Jr. were sharing photos from the weekend because "the truth deserved a few pictures."
She also clarified that Kremlev's celebration was separate from the wedding itself, which she said took place privately on a Friday with only family present, before the couple joined an already-planned weekend with friends as newlyweds.
Newsweek reached out to Trump Jr.'s team for comment. His spokesperson pointed to a statement Anderson had posted on Instagram, saying it represented the couple's response.
ProPublica reported Sunday that Umar Kremlev, a Russian businessman with close ties to Vladimir Putin, quietly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for parts of Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding celebrations in the Bahamas in May.
According to records reviewed by the outlet and interviews with people familiar with the event, Kremlev covered expenses including the rental of a private island where guests stayed and a reception was held, as well as a fireworks display. The payments were made through IB Challenger, a Dubai-based entity affiliated with the International Boxing Association, the scandal-plagued boxing organization Kremlev leads.
Kremlev also attended the celebration with a group of Russian guests that included a businessperson with ties to a Russian defense contractor and his deputy at the IBA. ProPublica reported that other guests found the delegation's presence conspicuous and that the Russian attendees have been largely absent from photos and videos the couple later released from the event.
A spokesperson for Trump Jr. did not dispute that Kremlev paid for the wedding events, telling ProPublica that he was a personal friend, not a business associate. A spokesperson for Kremlev described the relationship similarly. The White House, the Russian government and Kushner did not respond to the outlet's requests for comment.
Umar Kremlev, 43, was born Umar Lutfulloyev and changed his surname to Kremlev in 2010, according to the Russian investigative outlet Proekt. In his late 20s, he had convictions for extortion and battery. He later joined the Kremlin-friendly Night Wolves motorcycle club, where he developed a relationship with Alexei Rubezhnoi, who now heads Russian President Vladimir Putin's presidential security service. P
Proekt reported that the two became closely connected before Kremlev rose through Russian boxing, eventually becoming president of the Russian Boxing Federation in 2016.
In 2020, Kremlev became president of the International Boxing Association, then known as AIBA, which was struggling with financial problems and corruption allegations. Under his leadership, the organization secured tens of millions of dollars in sponsorship from Gazprom, the Russian state-owned energy giant. Former IBA officials told ProPublica that Kremlev used the organization to advance political interests aligned with the Kremlin, with one former board member saying he was "guided by Putin" and used boxing as a form of "soft political power."
The International Olympic Committee stripped the IBA of its recognition as the sport's governing body in 2023, citing governance and financial concerns, including its reliance on Gazprom.
Kremlev's business interests have also expanded well beyond boxing. Proekt reported that his ties to Putin helped him become a major player in Russia's sports betting industry and later acquire Rolf, one of the country's largest car dealership companies, after the Russian government nationalized it. He has cultivated a highly public profile, posting videos of himself giving away cars, traveling in luxury vehicles and meeting celebrities, while also publicly praising Joseph Stalin. He is also associated with Healthy Fatherland, an organization run by his wife's twin sister that is under Ukrainian sanctions over allegations that it helped relocate Ukrainian children from occupied territory.
As Russia's invasion of Ukraine brought sanctions against other wealthy Russian businessmen, Kremlev told associates he feared being targeted himself and moved much of the IBA's operations from Switzerland to the United Arab Emirates. He does not appear on public U.S. sanctions lists.
In recent years, he has also sought closer ties to the Trump family, sending Trump an open letter in 2025 over the IBA's dispute with the IOC and later hosting Donald Trump Jr. at an IBA event in Istanbul, where the two appeared together.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
