President Donald Trump has privately blasted his eldest son for allowing a Russian oligarch to bankroll his lavish wedding celebration in the Bahamas.
The president has reportedly been complaining to close aides about Donald Trump Jr.’s poor judgment after learning that a substantial portion of his nuptials had been funded by Umar Kremlev, a Russian businessman with close ties to Vladimir Putin, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Don Jr. tied the knot with Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson in May, but the Russian financing did not come to light until September, when it emerged that Kremlev had helped pay for the celebration.
While Kremlev did not attend Don Jr. and Bettina’s wedding ceremony, he was among the roughly 50 guests who joined the newlyweds for their three-day celebration in the Bahamas.
After the arrangement sparked bipartisan backlash, President Trump told reporters in September that his son had already reimbursed Kremlev.
In October, Kremlev confirmed that Don Jr. had repaid the hundreds of thousands of dollars that Kremlev had contributed to the wedding festivities.
Kremlev said he felt the reimbursement was unnecessary.
“Frankly speaking, I do not understand why he decided to do so,” he said. “There are all kinds of events organized by all kinds of people. It is as if I invite you to come and visit my country house. Would you expect me to issue an invoice to them afterward?”
Bettina previously defended Kremlev’s contribution, describing it as an “extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful.”
Kremlev, 43, was reportedly part of a group of Russians whose presence at the celebration “puzzled” other guests.
Speaking on his Triggered podcast, Don Jr. described the event as “really small” and attended only by “close friends.”
Neither Don Jr. nor his wife, now Bettina Trump, shared any photos on social media showing Kremlev or the other Russian guests at the celebration.
Kremlev, who also heads the International Boxing Association, attended the island festivities alongside several members of the Trump family, including Eric and his wife, Fox News host Lara; Ivanka and her husband, Trump special peace envoy Jared Kushner; and Tiffany and her husband, businessman Michael Boulos.
The president himself did not attend the festivities, nor did Melania or their son, Barron.
The octogenarian explained his absence on Truth Social, writing at the time: “While I very much wanted to be with my son… circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America, do not allow me to do so.”
Just a few days later, however, the president announced his intention to travel to New York City to watch the Knicks play in the NBA Finals.
Trump had previously dismissed the controversy surrounding Kremlev’s financial stake in Don Jr.’s wedding as “not a big deal,” though he insisted he had never even heard of Kremlev while defending his son’s acceptance of the gift.
His newly reported private complaints, however, suggest the president was far less comfortable with the arrangement than he initially let on.
