Trump says his son paid back Russian billionaire who funded parts of wedding celebration
By Logan Schiciano, CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump on Friday claimed his son, Donald Trump Jr., paid back the Russian billionaire who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund parts of Trump Jr.’s wedding celebration in the Bahamas.
“As I understand it, he paid him back,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, referring to Umar Kremlev, the Kremlin-connected businessman who ProPublica reported paid for aspects of the party.
The assertion by Trump is the most serious sign from the administration of possible discomfort with the payment, although the president also said it was common for someone’s friend to pay for a celebration connected to their wedding.
“A person that he knows — I guess, a friend of his — gave him a wedding party. That’s very common. I’ve heard of many people giving wedding parties,” Trump said.
When asked if it was appropriate for Kremlev to fund the celebration, Trump said, “it’s totally allowed” and dismissed concerns about Kremlev’s ties to the Kremlin, saying “maybe (Trump Jr.) didn’t do a background check.”
Trump Jr. and his wife Bettina Anderson had previously confirmed in a statement that Kremlev funded aspects of their wedding party, and defended their acceptance of the gift. The statement — posted to Anderson’s Instagram account, but signed “Don & Bettina” — cast the celebration Kremlev hosted as being after the actual wedding ceremony.
“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,” the statement said.
“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,” it continued. “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.”
Addressing a question about the Russian billionaire earlier this week, Attorney General Todd Blanche said Trump “doesn’t know who this person is,” and shrugged off the idea his department would investigate.
“When you say, ‘Am I investigating?’ Am I investigating what?” Blanche said.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
