World · East Asia & Pacific · 10 hrs ago
Trump Jr. hunted in Mongolia with Kremlin-linked businessman
Donald Trump Jr. spent two days hunting in western Mongolia with Umar Kremlev in August 2026.
Kremlev is a Russian businessman who leads the International Boxing Association and is described as close to the Kremlin.
Kremlev had partly paid for Trump Jr.’s wedding, held on a private island in the Bahamas; President Donald Trump said his son repaid him.
A charity auction helped fund the Mongolia trip, offering winners access to the president’s son, and one winner joined the hunt.
Trump Jr. traveled with a U.S. Secret Service detail, while Kremlev was accompanied by a business partner who is under U.S. sanctions.
Former U.S. counterintelligence officials warned that such contacts can pose security risks for the country.
Trump Jr.’s spokesperson described Kremlev as a personal friend, and Democrats in Congress have opened an investigation into the wedding payments.
Donald Trump Jr. spent two days hunting in western Mongolia in August 2026 with Umar Kremlev, a Russian businessman described as close to the Kremlin.
Kremlev had partly funded Trump Jr.’s wedding earlier that year, and President Donald Trump later said his son repaid him.
The Financial Times reported that Trump Jr. and Kremlev tried to avoid being photographed together at the hunting camp.
Trump Jr. traveled with a U.S. Secret Service detail, and his trip also included other unofficial meetings, including a dinner with Mongolia’s president.
Intelligence experts cited by the Financial Times said personal contacts between presidential relatives and people with Kremlin links pose security risks.
- Who
- Donald Trump Jr. and Umar Kremlev, a Russian businessman who heads the International Boxing Association.
- What
- They spent two days together on a hunting trip in Mongolia. Trump Jr.’s spokesperson described their relationship as a personal friendship, not a business relationship.
- When
- August 2026. The trip took place in late August, according to Meduza.
- Where
- A remote camp in western Mongolia, after Trump Jr. traveled through Ulaanbaatar.
- Why
- The trip was a hunting expedition. Trump Jr.’s spokesperson said their friendship was based largely on a shared interest in hunting, fishing and the outdoors.
Trump Jr.’s spokesperson
Intelligence experts
Nature of relationship
Trump Jr.’s spokesperson
The spokesperson said Trump Jr. and Kremlev had a personal friendship, not a business relationship.
Intelligence experts
Experts cited by the Financial Times said contacts between relatives of U.S. presidents and people with Kremlin links pose serious security risks.
Significance of the trip
Trump Jr.’s spokesperson
The spokesperson said it should not be surprising that the two went hunting together.
Intelligence experts
Experts said such relationships create security risks.
Kremlev partly funded costs for Trump Jr.’s wedding on a private Caribbean island.
Trump Jr. traveled to Mongolia and spent two days hunting with Kremlev in a camp in the west of the country.
Kremlev posted videos on Telegram saying he was flying to Mongolia and showing footage from the trip.
It emerged that Kremlev had paid part of the wedding costs, and Democrats in Congress launched an investigation.
- Hunting trip
- Two days in western Mongolia
- Trip month
- August 2026
- Kremlev’s role
- President of the International Boxing Association since 2020
- Embassy hotel payment
- $18,715 for rooms linked to a Secret Service visit from August 23 to September 6
- Auction access
- Winning bidders could pay up to $140,000 for access to Trump Jr.
3 sources
What people are saying
Don has made clear that he has a personal friendship, not a business relationship, with Umar… It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that they went hunting together earlier this year.
How do you feel about hunting?