'Why on earth?' GOP senator stunned by Don Jr.’s 'bad' gift from Putin ally

Donald Trump Jr. and his wife, Bettina Anderson, are furious over a ProPublica report alleging that their wedding in the Bahamas in May was partially funded by Umar Kremlev — a Russian oligarch with close ties to President Vladimir Putin. The article's allegations are resulting in strong criticism of President Donald Trump's son, and some of the criticism is coming from the right: conservative Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina).

On X, the Washington Sun's Igor Bobic reports, "Tillis rips Don Jr. for accepting gifts from a Russian oligarch, calling it 'beyond bad."

Tillis, according to Bobic, said of the president's son, "Don Jr. is worth somewhere between 300 million and 400 million dollars. Unless he has a cash flow problem, why on earth would you accept money from a Russian oligarch who's actually gone on delegation meetings with Xi Jinping in China?"

Anderson pushed back against ProPublica's reporting in a lengthy post on Instagram, writing, "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."

Anderson also wrote, "Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding."

In her post, Anderson wrote that there is "NO CONSPIRACY, NO MYSTERY" with Kremlev's involvement in her wedding to Don Jr. in the Bahamas.

Although Tillis isn't a full-fledged Never Trumper like attorney George Conway, The Lincoln Project's Rick Wilson or MS NOW host Joe Scarborough, he has been willing to criticize President Donald Trump at times. Tillis, fearing that he would not survive a GOP primary challenge, decided against seeking reelection in the 2026 midterms. And Democratic strategists are feeling optimistic about their nominee in the race to fill Tillis' seat: former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who has been performing well in polls.

Bobic's tweet on Tillis' comments is receiving a lot of discussion on X, formerly Twitter.

X user David Oppenheim wrote, "Because he's a Trump. First Rule: Never Pay For Anything."

Another X user, Levi Fishman, posted, "I think we know that Don Jr. never turns down help from the Russians. Especially later in the summer."