Donald Trump Jr.'s Bahamas Wedding to Bettina Anderson Largely Funded by Russian Oligarch Umar Kremlev — Who Has Close Ties to Putin: Report

Donald Trump Jr.'s lavish Bahamas wedding to socialite Bettina Anderson was largely funded by a Russian oligarch whose close ties to Putin have been the cause of several scandals.

On September 14, ProPublica reported that Umar Kremlev, the head of the International Boxing Association, dropped hundreds of thousands of dollars on wedding expenses for his "personal friend."

Kremlev, 43, paid an exorbitant sum to rent out one of his private islands for the wedding. He also paid for a fireworks show and had his team help organize the event.

Kremlev's IBA has been funded by the Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom. He has close ties to Putin — for example, he was part of the official Russian delegation during Putin's 2023 China. He has used his position to peddle Russian propaganda and disinformation in the world of international sports. He received the Order of Friendship from Putin weeks before Trump Jr.'s wedding.

Kremlev did not attend the small wedding ceremony, which had just 18 guests, but was at the second night's reception, which had around 50. There, he "was part of a large group whose presence puzzled other attendees. They sometimes stood off by themselves, speaking Russian."

The report raised questions about why Kremlev bankrolled Trump Jr.'s wedding.

Trump Jr., worth $300 million, likely could have funded the wedding himself. Furthermore, the guest list at the event was exceptionally tight, with only close friends and family attending (Trump Jr.'s father, President Donald Trump, infamously said he couldn't go because it "wasn't a good time").

“If I’m paying for your wedding, at some point, you’re going to owe me something,” Frank Montoya Jr., a retired career FBI official who held senior counterintelligence roles, told ProPublica. “This should be unthinkable for the son of the president. End of story.”

Don Jr. did not deny that the Russian oligarch paid for his wedding, but downplayed any talk of of a quid pro quo deal.

"Umar is a personal friend of Don,” a spokesman told ProPublica. The spokesman added that Umar is “not someone [Don] has a business relationship with” but that they are merely friends through their love of boxing.

A spokesperson for Eric Trump, Don's brother, told the publication, "Eric has absolutely no clue who this person is, nor has never heard his name." Eric attended the wedding reception alongside Umar and roughly 50 other guests.

Kremlev also denied any impropriety in funding the wedding.

"Mr. Kremlev has never discussed political matters with any of his American friends and acquaintances,” a spokesperson told ProPublica.

Kremlev was recently at the center of a controversy surrounding Algerian female boxer Imane Khelif. In 2023, the IBA banned Khelif for an unstated reason after she defeated an undefeated Russian boxer. Khelif then claimed, without presenting evidence, that Khelif had XY chromosomes or elevated testosterone levels.

The story marred Khelif's 2024 gold medal run, as one of her defeated opponents, Angela Carini of Italy, complained about fighting Khelif after getting knocked out in 46 seconds.