WASHINGTON — Bettina Trump, the daughter-in-law of former President Donald Trump, shared on Monday that a Russian oligarch associated with Vladimir Putin acted as a “close friend” by covering the expenses for her wedding celebration with Donald Trump Jr. this past May.
Umar Kremlev reportedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for various components of the couple’s ceremony, which took place on May 21 on a private island in the Bahamas. This included additional costs for another island for the reception and even a fireworks display, as stated by ProPublica.
In a post on Instagram, Bettina expressed her gratitude, saying, “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.”
Kremlev was among around 50 guests, which included Don Jr.’s siblings Eric, Ivanka, and Tiffany. Notably, neither President Trump, first lady Melania Trump, nor their son Barron attended the event.
It’s somewhat puzzling when Kremlev met the couple, and one might wonder why Don Jr., whose net worth is estimated at $300 million by Forbes, didn’t cover the costs himself.
Just days before attending the wedding, Kremlev was in China as part of a delegation with Putin, as reported by Chinese state media. He is widely recognized for his role as the head of the International Boxing Association since 2020.
Bettina clarified that the actual wedding ceremony was meant to involve only family, while the subsequent weekend was designated for celebrating with friends.
She noted, “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.”
“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 added, reflecting on the original intention for a White House wedding, which was altered due to the conflict with Iran. “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.”
She concluded by emphasizing, “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.”
