US President Donald Trump stated on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, that his son, Donald Trump Jr., planned to reimburse a Russian oligarch who bankrolled wedding celebrations in the Bahamas earlier that year, according to reporting by Reuters journalists Jacob Bogage and Steve Holland. The financial arrangement has triggered a congressional inquiry.
The controversy centers on wedding festivities held in May 2026 for Donald Trump Jr. and his wife, Bettina Trump. According to an initial investigative report by ProPublica, Umar Kremlev—a wealthy Russian businessman and president of the International Boxing Association with close ties to the Russian government—paid hundreds of thousands of dollars toward the celebration.
Congressional Investigation and Reimbursement Claims
Democratic lawmakers in the US Congress launched an investigation into the funding arrangement in September 2026. Responding to the mounting scrutiny during a press appearance on Friday, Sept. 18, President Trump told reporters that he questioned his son about the reports. According to the president, Donald Trump Jr. replied, “‘No, I’m paying it back, Dad.’ And that was a while ago. So I heard he’s paying,” as reported by Reuters.
A person familiar with the situation confirmed to Reuters that Donald Trump Jr. planned to reimburse Kremlev. Neither Kremlev nor the International Boxing Association responded immediately to requests for comment from reporters late on Friday.
President Trump, who did not attend his son’s wedding, maintained earlier in the week that he does not know Kremlev and dismissed the controversy as “not a big deal!” The president added on Friday that while he frequently hosts wedding parties for various people at properties like his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, he understands that his son is settling the debt with the Russian businessman.
Family Statements and Political Reactions
Bettina Trump addressed the funding in an Instagram post on Monday, describing Kremlev as a friend who provided an “extraordinarily generous wedding gift.” She stressed in the post that Kremlev’s funds covered two after-parties rather than the wedding ceremony itself.
A GOP senator labeled the funding of the party by a Russian oligarch as “corruption.”
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who funded Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding celebrations? According to reports by ProPublica and Reuters, Russian oligarch and International Boxing Association President Umar Kremlev paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for wedding festivities in the Bahamas.
- Has the money been repaid? President Donald Trump stated on Sept. 18, 2026, that his son told him he was paying the money back, a detail confirmed by a person familiar with the situation speaking to Reuters.
- Why is Congress investigating the wedding? US congressional Democrats launched an inquiry into the payments due to Kremlev’s close ties to the Russian government.
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