Don Jr and Bettina Trump break silence after Russian oligarch paid hundreds of thousands toward lavish Bahamas wedding party

Donald Jr and Bettina Trump have admitted that a Russian oligarch paid hundreds of thousands of dollars towards their lavish wedding party in the Bahamas.

The president’s son tied the knot with 39-year-old socialite and model Bettina at a Palm Beach ceremony in late May before heading to the Bahamas for a luxury reception.

Trump did not attend his eldest son’s wedding, citing national security responsibilities as the war with Iran escalated.

According to a new report on Monday, wealthy oligarch and friend of Russian President Putin, Umar Kremlev, partially funded the couple’s nuptials. 

He allegedly financially helped the Trumps – including with the rent of a private island, paying for a fireworks show and hundreds of thousands of dollars in other expenses.

Kremlev’s team also planned the wedding party, according to ProPublica.  

Newlywed Bettina addressed the rumors and posted a series of never-before-seen photos on Monday – calling the Russian national ‘our dear friend Umar.’

She said that he ‘very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us’ before making clear that the party he paid for was ‘after our wedding.’ 

Bettina and Don Jr. had 18 guests at the ceremony and 50 people at the reception of their Bahamas celebration earlier this year. 

She ended the fiery statement by telling her followers: ‘Friendship doesn’t require a political motive. Generosity doesn’t automatically come with an agenda.’  

Mrs Trump wrote on Instagram this morning: ‘Don and I got married privately on Friday, surrounded ONLY by our family. It was intimate, deeply personal and one of the most beautiful days of our lives.

‘The weekend that followed had actually been planned well in advance as a fun weekend with friends. It was never intended to be our wedding weekend. When our original wedding plans changed, we simply decided to get married before it and arrived at an already planned weekend as newlyweds.

‘Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding. It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful.

‘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. 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.

‘We are fortunate to have wonderful friends from all over the world, and we will never be embarrassed or apologetic about being grateful for them.

‘So, for anyone determined not to let the facts get in the way of a good story: NO CONSPIRACY , NO MYSTERY. Just a private family wedding, a wonderful weekend with friends and one hell of a party.

‘And since fake news travels fast, we figured the truth deserved a few pictures.’

She signed off the post with the caption: ‘With love and gratitude, Don & Bettina.’

The couple celebrated their wedding with Don Jr’s siblings, Eric, 42, and Ivanka, 44, who also came with them to the Bahamas afterwards.

The couple’s marriage certificate, obtained by the Daily Mail, shows that they officially became husband and wife in a secret ceremony held at the West Palm Beach home of Anderson’s sister, Kristina McPherson.

Anderson said she would be taking the Trump surname.