Trump says he has “no idea who Umar is” and calls it “not a big deal”
Donald TrumpPresident of the United States, in a statement to NBC News
In a statement to NBC News the same day Bettina Trump's Instagram post appeared, President Trump said he had "no idea who Umar is, never heard of him," and disputed that Kremlev "paid for" the wedding as opposed to a separate "afterparty," calling the whole matter "not a big deal."
Responding to
Kremlev funding a wedding-related celebration for Donald Trump Jr. is an ordinary, permissible gift, comparable to wedding gifts other people receive, and Kremlev has since been repaid.
“I have no idea who Umar is, never heard of him, and he didn’t pay for Don and Bettina’s wedding, which took place at a totally different location, and on a different day from the wedding. It was an ‘afterparty’ given in their honor. Not a big deal! I was not present at the party.”
Reporting
Other statements by Donald Trump in this case
- Trump calls the arrangement “totally allowed” and says Kremlev was repaidLater: Defended or excused
Where this statement fits
Should the Senate Judiciary Committee Subpoena Donald Trump Jr. Over His Kremlev-Funded Wedding Celebration?
Russian businessman Umar Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association and a Putin ally sanctioned by Ukraine, helped fund a private-island celebration for Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Trump's May 2026 wedding, including a fireworks show, ProPublica reported in September 2026. Bettina Trump acknowledged the arrangement on Instagram, calling Kremlev a "dear friend." The same day, President Trump told NBC News he had "no idea who Umar is, never heard of him," and called it "not a big deal." Four days later, in the Oval Office, Trump instead defended the arrangement as "totally allowed" and said he understood Kremlev had been repaid. On September 21, Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) wrote the Senate Judiciary Committee asking it to subpoena both Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden, arguing the episode and Hunter Biden's past foreign business dealings both raise questions about "the use of presidential family relationships for private financial benefit." The Judiciary Committee had not committed to acting as of this writing.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
NBC News' report published the evening of September 14, 2026, the day Bettina Trump's Instagram post and President Trump's statement to NBC both appeared. It also gives background on Kremlev's history with the Trump family and the 2016 Trump Tower meeting.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The statement was issued the same day, September 14, 2026, that Bettina Trump acknowledged Kremlev's role on Instagram.
After the quotation
Four days later, Trump gave a different account, described in a later statement.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to whether Donald Trump Jr.'s acceptance of a Kremlev-funded wedding celebration was improper, Trump neither confirms nor flatly denies that an afterparty funded in part by Kremlev took place; he disputes his own familiarity with Kremlev and disputes that Kremlev paid for the wedding itself as opposed to a separate afterparty, while dismissing the episode as "not a big deal." The dominant thrust downplays the episode's significance rather than defending it as proper, so minimizes fits better than “Defended or excused”; four days later he gave a different, more forthcoming account, recorded as a separate, later statement.
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More from this case
Read the full caseTrump Jr.'s spokesperson calls the Kremlev tie a personal friendship
“Don has made clear that he has a personal friendship, not a business relationship, with Umar. Their friendship is largely based on their shared love for hunting, fishing and the outdoors. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that they went hunting together earlier this year”Read statement
Emmer calls the proposed Trump Jr. inquiry a partisan distraction
“This partisan distraction is NOT what the American people voted for!”Read statement
Jim Banks opposes a Senate inquiry into Trump Jr. over the wedding celebration
“Don Jr. is a businessman, not an administration official. There is no evidence he sold access to the presidency. That is the difference between him and Hunter Biden and it is not a small one. The Senate should investigate actual crimes, not manufacture fake ones.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Trump says he has “no idea who Umar is” and calls it “not a big deal”". First published: 2026-09-22. Last updated: 2026-09-26. https://disputeindex.com/events/1443-in-a-statement-to-nbc-news-the-same