Donald Trump Jr and his wife have said a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin paid for two nights of their wedding celebrations as an “extraordinarily generous gift”.
The couple’s statement comes after a US publication said Umar Kremlev “footed the bill for hundreds of thousands of dollars of wedding expenses” for the pair.
The US president‘s eldest son married socialite Bettina Trump, formerly Anderson, in May, with the celebrations taking place across two private islands in the Bahamas.
In a post on Instagram, Mrs Trump said on Monday: “Apparently our wedding is making headlines again, so a little clarity seems in order.”
She added they “got married privately” on a Friday, “surrounded ONLY by our family”
“The weekend that followed had actually been planned well in advance as a fun weekend with friends,” Mrs Trump continued. “It was never intended to be our wedding weekend.
“When our original wedding plans changed, we simply decided to get married before it and arrived at an already planned weekend as newlyweds.
“Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding. It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful.”
Umar Kremlev with Vladimir Putin, a month before the Trump wedding. Pic: Reuters
The post continued: “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.
“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.
“We are fortunate to have wonderful friends from all over the world, and we will never be embarrassed or apologetic about being grateful for them.”
The statement was signed off with “Don and Bettina”, and posted alongside a carousel of 20 pictures from the wedding celebrations.
Don Jr and his wife joined Trump in Ireland over the weekend. Pic: PA
Umar Kremlev became president of the International Boxing Association in 2020.
A month before the Trump wedding, he posed with Mr Putin as the Russian president awarded him an Order of Friendship in Moscow.
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Revealing Mr Kremlev’s link to the wedding celebrations, ProPublica noted that he had barely appeared in any social media posts shared by attendees at the time.
His press office told the US outlet that Mr Kremlev and Mr Trump Jr “have a friendly relationship” and first met “a couple of years ago”.
The US president did not attend his son’s nuptials, but a number of other family members were present.
The groom’s sister, Ivanka Trump, attended with her husband Jared Kushner, who serves as a senior advisor in his father-in-law’s administration, as did Eric Trump, who is vice president of The Trump Organisation.
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