No conspiracy, no mystery, just a gift from a Russian oligarch

A ‘generous wedding gift’ from a ‘dear friend’ raises questions not entirely answered by Bettina and Don Jr’s Instagram caption

Anyone who has gotten married knows how the costs can rack up. There’s the venue, the photographers, the flowers, the cake, the napkins, the DJ (can you tell I got married earlier this year?), the disco ball that costs a barely believable $700, the outfits for the flower girls, the knives and forks, the tuxedo socks, which you previously didn’t know existed, the gifts for the best man and maid of honour, the events that you decided to throw before and after the day itself (honestly, it’s just a never-ending stream of people with their hands out), the seating chart that despite you making it yourself somehow ended up costing three figures, the chairs that you paid extra for because your now-wife didn’t like the colour of the ones the venue would have provided for free, the tanning moisturiser that you had to buy in two different shades because the first one made you look like a corpse, the teeth whitening, the Uber credit that you have a sneaking suspicion your best friend turned a profit on, the honeymoon and more (for the record, it was a lovely day and worth every penny).

It almost makes one wish they had a recent acquaintance who is a Russian oligarch and a close Putin ally who is willing to spend, for no particular reason, hundreds of thousands of dollars to defray some of the costs.

That’s what Donald Trump Jr, the president’s son, managed to wangle for his wedding after-party in May, when Umar Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association and reported gambling market guru, covered the cost of an entire private island for the newlyweds and their guests and paid for a lavish fireworks show. ProPublica, which broke the story this week, reported that the relationship represents “an extraordinary development: a member of Putin’s circle financially supporting the president’s son and gaining intimate access to the Trump family”.

Well, quite. Do we even need to explain that this matters because Trump Jr is a key player in his dad’s political world? He was a key voice in encouraging Donald Trump Sr’s selection of JD Vance as his running mate two years ago, and has served as a political adviser to Trump, reportedly helping choose members of his cabinet.

That influence makes it extra concerning that Kremlev has managed to develop such a close relationship with Trump Jr. As well as paying for much of Trump Jr’s post-wedding celebration, Kremlev was also among about 50 guests in attendance at what the president called “a small, little private affair” when he explained why he wouldn’t be joining the celebration. The party took place days after, ProPublica reported, Kremlev had accompanied Putin on a trip to China.

In response to detailed questions, a spokesperson for Trump Jr did not dispute the wedding payments from Kremlev. ‘Umar is a personal friend of Don,’ he said. The spokesman said that Kremlev is ‘not someone he has a business relationship with’ and that the men met through a mutual friend in the hunting world and bonded over their love of boxing and the outdoors.

Bettina Trump, Trump Jr’s new wife, attempted some PR damage control on her Instagram on Tuesday, but kind of botched it: she decried “fake news” before going on to confirm that, yep, Kremlev did pay for two nights of celebrations.

“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,” she wrote in a caption signed “Don & Bettina”.

In a statement to various outlets the president said he had “never heard” of his son’s close friend.

“Kremlev didn’t pay for Don and Bettina’s wedding, which took place at a totally different location, and on a different day from the wedding,” Trump said, somewhat confusingly.

The president, 80, added: “It was an ‘afterparty’ given in their honor. Not a big deal! I was not present at the party.”

Unfortunately for Trump and son, not everyone agrees that the affair is not a big deal.

On Monday House Democrats, who are already investigating ways in which the Trump family has become richer during his presidency, wrote to Trump Jr that the Kremlev affair “may be the most serious allegation against you to date”.

The representative Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the House oversight committee, added: “The secretive and exorbitant gifts you have received as the son of a sitting US president from a member of Putin’s inner circle raises serious national security and public corruption concerns.”

The letter went on: “Given that you reportedly advise your father, the president of the United States, on issues of national security and vetting White House personnel, any possible foreign entanglement deserves close scrutiny.”

While we wait to see how that goes, there’s an important lesson here for the rest of us: as tempting as it might be to accept a Russian oligarch’s offer to help pay for napkins and forks and knives, people might have some questions – especially if your dad is the president of the United States.