Umar Kremlev just broke his silence on Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding debt. The International Boxing Association president addressed the repayment controversy at a press conference, sharing his surprising reaction to getting his money back.
Umar Kremlev says Donald Trump Jr. reimbursed the wedding expenses
Umar Kremlev, head of the International Boxing Association, confirmed that Donald Trump Jr. repaid him for wedding celebration expenses, as reported by the Associated Press. Kremlev made the statement at a press conference in Istanbul on Tuesday. “He did repay the money I spent on the present,” Kremlev said through an interpreter (via PBS).
Kremlev expressed surprise at the repayment, calling it unnecessary. “Frankly speaking, I do not understand why he decided to do so,” he stated. He compared the situation to hosting a friend at a country house. Kremlev asked whether anyone would expect an invoice after such an invitation. He described the idea of seeking repayment as “ridiculous.”
ProPublica reported last month that Kremlev covered hundreds of thousands of dollars in wedding costs. Trump Jr. married socialite Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas in May. Kremlev, who maintains close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, reportedly paid to rent a private island. The three-day celebration took place across two private islands.
Bettina Trump addressed the matter on Instagram in a post signed by the couple. She wrote that Kremlev was a “dear friend” who hosted two celebration nights after their wedding.
President Donald Trump, who did not attend, previously defended the arrangement. “It’s totally allowed,” the president told reporters. “But, as I understand it, he paid them back.”
Kremlev, recently honored with Putin’s Order of Friendship, downplayed the controversy further. He called it “a shared event” and said people exaggerated its significance. “We are simply friends and what unites us is love for sports,” he added. The scrutiny comes as Russia remains at war with Ukraine. Trump Jr. has previously faced questions about his Russian connections, including a 2016 Trump Tower meeting with a Russian attorney during his father’s presidential campaign.
