The wife of Donald Trump’s eldest son insisted there was nothing sinister about a controversial Russian oligarch paying for parts of their recent wedding celebrations, after it was revealed that an ally of Vladimir Putin bankrolled the luxurious Bahamas weekend.
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ally → insist → weekend
Umar Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association, sponsored and attended some of the festivities that took place on two ultra-exclusive private islands in May when Donald Trump Jr married Bettina Anderson.
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Jr → sponsor → Anderson
The gift was revealed by the US investigative journalism outlet ProPublica on Monday (US time) and confirmed by Anderson, now Bettina Trump, on social media.
“Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding,” she wrote on Instagram.
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she → reveal → Instagram
“It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful.”
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we → remain → which
According to ProPublica, which cites records and three sources familiar with the event, Kremlev contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to rent one of the private islands for a reception.
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hundreds → accord → reception
He also funded a fireworks show, and his staff helped with event planning, ProPublica reported.
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ProPublica → fund → planning
Bettina Trump indicated Kremlev did not attend the wedding ceremony itself, which she said was for family only.
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she → indicate → family
“The weekend that followed had actually been planned well in advance as a fun weekend with friends.
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that → follow → friends
It was never intended to be our wedding weekend.
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It → intend → ?
When our original wedding plans changed, we simply decided to get married before it and arrived at an already planned weekend as newlyweds,” she wrote on Instagram.
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she → change → Instagram
“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.
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they → ’ → where
Friendship doesn’t require a political motive.
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Friendship → require → motive
Generosity doesn’t automatically come with an agenda.
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Generosity → come → agenda
Photos from the weekend show guests, including Eric and Lara Trump, Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, the president’s fourth child, Tiffany, and her husband, Michael Boulos, enjoying dinner, drinks, and dancing by the beach.
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guests → show → beach
A funfetti cake served over the weekend was flown in from Palm Beach in Florida, according to an authorised account of the wedding published by HELLO! magazine.
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cake → serve → magazine
Celebrations also featured a Bahamian roasted pig, a rum bar, a Junkanoo band and an extravagant fireworks display.
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Celebrations → feature → pig
The president did not attend the wedding or the subsequent celebrations, saying it was “not good timing” for him as he was dealing with the Iran war.
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he → attend → war
He cancelled a planned visit to his New Jersey golf club and spent the weekend at the White House instead.
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He → cancel → House
Forbes magazine recently estimated Trump Jr’s wealth at more than $US300 million ($419 million), up from $US50 million in 2024, largely thanks to investments in crypto.
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magazine → estimate → crypto
Kremlev’s ties to the Kremlin appear substantial.
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ties → appear → Kremlin
In 2021, Putin reportedly appointed Kremlev’s company TsUPIS as the centralised owner and operator of sports betting in Russia.
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Putin → appoint → Russia
Two weeks ago, Kremlev became the owner of Russia’s largest car dealership, Rolf, which was seized by Putin at the end of 2023 and nationalised.
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which → become → 2023
Kremlev’s International Boxing Association was excommunicated by the International Olympic Committee in 2023 over concerns about governance, finance and refereeing integrity.
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Association → excommunicate → governance
The IBA is financially dependent on the Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom.
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IBA → own → giant
Daniel Fried, a former assistant US secretary of state for European affairs, now a distinguished fellow with the Atlantic Council in Washington, said it was typical for the Russians to bestow favours upon targets (who could also be friends).
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who → say → targets
“I think the Russian saying is, ‘The only free cheese is in a mousetrap’,” he said.
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he → think → mousetrap
“It speaks to the gullibility of the president’s son that he would take this favour, and it speaks to his lack of experience.
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it → speak → experience
You should never take favours from your enemies.”
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You → take → enemies
Fried said it mattered little whether Kremlev and Trump Jr were actually friends.
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Kremlev → say → ?
“Even if he does appear to be a persona friend, he’s a Russian oligarch.
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he → appear → ?
He’s operating either as Putin’s agent or with Putin’s permission.”
The senior Trump’s closeness to Putin has been a recurring theme of his presidency.
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closeness → operate → presidency
Despite once promising to end the war between Russia and Ukraine in a single day, Trump has been unable to do so – nor has he exerted significant pressure on Putin to stop fighting or curb his ambitions.
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he → promise → ambitions
On Monday, he wrote on Truth Social that Ukraine had agreed to stop striking Russian energy infrastructure – a demand he made in previous days amid climbing diesel prices.
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he → write → prices
“Russia has agreed to do so, likewise!” he said.
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he → agree → ?
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what → get → world
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