Trump Privally Faulted Don Jr. for Russian-Funded Bahamas Wedding Party Amid Corruption Allegations
Key Takeaways
- •The Wall Street Journal reported that President Trump privately complained that Donald Trump Jr. exercised poor judgment by allowing Russian businessman Umar Kremlev to pay for his post-wedding party in the Bahamas.
- •Trump has said his son repaid Kremlev, but no timing, method, or documentation of the repayment has been reported, leaving the claim and its ethics questions unresolved.
- •The Atlantic reported that Trump Jr. has privately railed against his father's war with Iran, while never publicly breaking with the president on the issue.
- •Kimberly Guilfoyle, Trump Jr.'s former partner, was ousted last week and is now threatening a tell-all book about the Trump family based on their six-year relationship.
- •Financial Times findings linked the Alaska Polar Train gas project to Gentry Beach, a longtime friend of Trump Jr., with Russian energy giant Novatek allegedly controlling the venture through UAE-based company Tech Wave.

President Donald Trump is not happy with his eldest son, and reports say the two have been battling over several issues in recent weeks.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday night that corruption allegations are growing and are now on the president's radar.
“The president has also privately complained to aides that his son Donald Trump Jr. exhibited bad judgment for allowing Russian businessman Umar Kremlev to pay for his post-wedding party in the Bahamas,” the report said.
Trump Jr. recently married Bettina Anderson on a private island, where friends and family were treated to lavish food, beautiful weather and even a fireworks show. The island rental and events cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the fact that they were bankrolled by a Russian businessman marked yet another connection between the Trump circle and Russian nationals. Kremlev has led the International Boxing Association since 2020, giving the favor a high-profile face.
Such ties make it difficult for the president to claim that the probe into his campaign's links to Russia was illegitimate when Russian oligarchs are handing out money and jobs to those who work with him. Trump has said his son repaid Kremlev, according to the Journal, though there is no indication of when or how. No timing, method or documentation has been reported, leaving the repayment claim — and the ethics questions attached to it — unresolved.
The reporting came after it was revealed that Trump and Don Jr. are also at odds over the war with Iran.
“Remember when they said Trump would get us into a full-blown war with Iran?” Don Jr. wrote on X in April 2024, as Iran sent missiles and drones toward Israel. “Times like these should make us all realize how lucky we were to have Trump, his strength and his resolve.”
Behind closed doors, however, Don Jr. has been rant and raving about his father's war, The Atlantic reported earlier this week.
“Don has kept his views on the subject private, as he would never publicly break with his dad on an issue like this, but I can’t imagine anyone who knows Don would be surprised by his personal views on the subject,” said a person close to the president’s son. Trump Jr. would not comment.
The White House, meanwhile, said in an official statement: “Iran has been decimated, and one way or the other, the conflict in Iran will be over very soon.” Trump has said the same thing since April.
The week was not a kind one for Trump Jr., who has absorbed public blow after blow. His former partner, Kimberly Guilfoyle, was ousted last week after allegedly shaking down a GOP donor for cash to pay her American Express bill, and she is now threatening a tell-all book about the Trumps drawn from her six-year relationship with Don Jr., The Independent reported.
On Friday, Trump Jr. was also linked to a recent revelation that Russian energy giant Novatek, the largest independent natural gas producer in Russia, was pulling the strings behind the curtain on a project known as Polar Train, which would help address Alaska's infrastructure problems on the North Slope. The report drew on Financial Times findings published October 24 that the venture was initially associated with Gentry Beach, a longtime friend of Donald Trump Jr. who also served as a finance vice chairman for President Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration.
The Russian funds were routed through the UAE-based company Tech Wave — another connection between Russia, the president and his family. For readers tracking where it all leads, the open questions are concrete: when and how Don Jr. repaid Kremlev, the extent of Novatek's role in Polar Train, and whether Guilfoyle's threatened tell-all comes together.
This article is based on reporting from Alternet.