Attorney General Todd Blanche made his debut at the White House podium on Tuesday, filling in as press secretary after Karoline Leavitt's departure, and faced questions over reports that a Russian oligarch bankrolled Donald Trump Jr's wedding celebrations. Blanche dismissed the query, insisting neither President Trump nor most of his family knew who Umar Kremlev was, and questioned what there would even be to investigate given the report alleged no wrongdoing. The episode has fuelled scrutiny over whether it is appropriate for the president's family to accept lavish gifts from a foreign national with close ties to Vladimir Putin.

According to ProPublica, Kremlev, 43, president of the International Boxing Association and a friend of Putin, paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to rent a private Bahamas island for Don Jr and Bettina Trump's wedding celebrations in May, including overnight accommodation and fireworks, funded via an IBA-affiliated entity in Dubai. The IBA has received funding from Russian state-owned firm Gazprom, and Kremlev said he met Don Jr a couple of years ago, though the two were also seen together at an IBA forum in Istanbul in September 2025. Don Jr and Bettina Trump rejected any suggestion of a conspiracy, calling it simply a private family wedding. Blanche also drew attention by joking with sweating reporters at the outdoor Rose Garden briefing, telling them he was "not really sorry" while standing in the shade.