Bettina Anderson, the wife of Donald Trump Jr., responded to a report that a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin paid for a large part of their wedding, saying his money covered a separate celebration and not the wedding itself. A ProPublica investigation published Sunday reported that Umar Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association and a close associate of Putin, covered hundreds of thousands of dollars in wedding expenses for the couple, including renting a private island and a fireworks show, paid through a Dubai-based entity linked to the IBA. "Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding," Anderson wrote in a lenghty Instagram post on Monday, calling it "an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful." She pushed back on the idea that Kremlev's involvement carried any political dimension.
"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," she wrote. "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." Calling the report "fake news," Anderson wrote, "NO CONSPIRACY, NO MYSTERY," and said she and Trump Jr. were sharing photos from the weekend because "the truth deserved a few pictures." She also clarified that Kremlev's celebration was separate from the wedding itself, which she said took place privately on a Friday with only family present, before the couple joined an already-planned weekend with friends as newlyweds. Newsweek reached out to Trump Jr.'s team for comment. His spokesperson pointed to a statement Anderson had posted on Instagram, saying it represented the couple's response.
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