One of the people who won a week of hunting with Donald Trump Jr at a Safari Club auction in January 2025 went on that hunt in western Mongolia this summer, according to an October 27, 2026 Financial Times report that cites confirmation from Safari Club International (SCI) itself. SCI’s own auction pages, still online, show what was sold, when and on what terms. They also show a detail the FT’s account does not: SCI says it is not a qualified charity.
Where it stands: The price the winners paid had not been made public by October 28; SCI’s site shows the winning bid only to signed-in bidders. No SCI statement about the hunt beyond its confirmation to the FT had been reported.
The FT report focused on a separate visitor to Trump Jr’s camp, the IBA boxing body’s president Umar Kremlev. Asked about him, a Trump Jr spokesperson described “a personal friendship, not a business relationship.” Neither Kremlev nor his reported travel companion Arthur Martirosov answered the FT. The FT did not report a comment from Trump Jr’s side on the auction.
What did the Safari Club auction sell?
It sold two places on a seven-day Altai ibex hunt in Mongolia that Trump Jr was billed to host. SCI’s listing calls lot 4FN a “7-day VIP Altay Ibex hunt hosted by Donald Trump Jr and Kaan KaraKaya for One Hunter,” with a quantity of two.
The lot went under the hammer at SCI’s Friday night auction during its convention in Nashville. The listing records the sale on Jan. 24, 2025, at 8:19 p.m. Central time.
The listing names Field Ethos and Shikar Safaris as offering the hunt, in Mongolia’s Altay Mountains. Hunters were told to book “open dates in August – September 2026 only,” to be arranged with the host. That window matches the FT’s account of Trump Jr’s ibex hunt in Bayan-Ölgii province after his stay in Uvs.
| Lot 4FN detail | What SCI’s listing says |
|---|---|
| Hunt | Seven-day VIP Altay ibex hunt, one hunter |
| Hosts | Donald Trump Jr and Kaan KaraKaya |
| Offered by | Field Ethos and Shikar Safaris |
| Dates | August to September 2026 only |
| Units sold | Two |
| Start price | $10,000 |
| Winning bid | Hidden behind a bidder sign-in |
The listing says the package included licences, a gun import permit, “one trophy fee,” lodging, an interpreter and a local guide. It also offered paid upgrades to several kinds of argali and other game, “see outfitter for details.” Nothing public shows that either winner took one.
How much did the winning bidders pay?
That is not public. The $225,000 figure in the FT’s account was not a sale price. It was the auctioneer’s call from the stage, which the FT quoted: “Will you beat $225,000? I’m giving you a bargain.”
According to the FT, Trump Jr offered to add a stay at Mar-a-Lago to push the bidding higher, and joked to the crowd that he is “very sexy in camo.”
SCI’s lot page lists a start price of $10,000. Where the final price would appear, the page asks visitors to “Sign In To View Winning Bid.” According to the FT, SCI said one of the pair of winners went along on the ibex hunt; the FT did not name that person.
Was the Safari Club auction a charity event?
The FT called it a “charity fundraiser.” SCI’s own auction terms say otherwise about the group: “SCI is not a qualified charitable organization.”
The terms add that items donated to SCI, and money paid to SCI at the auction, “do not qualify as charitable deductions.” Only items sold for the benefit of the separate SCI Foundation can bring a partial deduction, and the terms say all auction items are donated to SCI rather than the foundation unless noted. The ibex lot’s description does not say it benefited the foundation.
For comparison, IRS rules on “quid pro quo” payments, where a donor gives money partly as a gift and partly for something in return, apply to qualified charities. Those charities must tell donors that only the amount above the fair market value of what they received is deductible, and face a penalty for failing to disclose payments over $75. Because SCI says it is not a qualified charity, its terms tell buyers that payments to SCI are not deductible at all.
Who else joined the ibex hunt?
The FT named one other guest: Kevin Small, whom it described as “a longtime Republican donor who has hunted with Trump Jr before.”
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The FT also reported that photos from “a different charity auction” show Small signing paperwork alongside Kaan Karakaya, and that the winning bid in that auction was $140,000. The FT describes Karakaya as a Turkish hunting organizer who has arranged Trump Jr’s Mongolia trips; he is the co-host named in SCI’s listing.
For the rest of the trip, including Kremlev’s two days at the Uvs camp, see our summary of the FT investigation.
What have ethics watchdogs said about the auction?
Lauren White of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a government ethics watchdog, told the FT that auctioning off time with the president’s son raises ethics questions.
“Buying access to power is an ethics concern, whether it’s through a charity, a wedding, a campaign donation or a lavish gift,” she said. That is CREW’s view of ethics, not a legal finding; as of October 28, no complaint or allegation that the auction broke any law or rule had been reported. The FT did not report a response from Trump Jr’s side to the criticism; his spokesperson’s comment to the paper concerned Kremlev.
Has Trump Jr been part of hunting auctions before?
Yes, as a buyer and as a host. His spokesman said in 2019 that Trump Jr’s first Mongolia hunt was itself bought at a National Rifle Association charity auction, before his father’s 2015 campaign launch, ProPublica reported.
Humane World for Animals, an animal-protection advocacy group, wrote in 2020 that Trump Jr had been guest of honor at that February’s SCI convention, and that two hunters placed winning bids totaling $340,000 there to join him on a yacht and hunt deer and sea ducks in Alaska.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did the Safari Club auction for a Trump Jr hunt sell for?
The final price is not public. The $225,000 figure reported by the Financial Times was the auctioneer’s prompt from the stage. SCI’s listing shows a $10,000 start price and hides the winning bid behind a bidder sign-in.
Is Safari Club International a charity?
SCI’s own auction terms say it is not a qualified charitable organization and that money paid to SCI at its auctions is not a charitable deduction. A separate SCI Foundation exists, but the ibex lot does not say it benefited the foundation.
Did an auction winner go hunting with Trump Jr in Mongolia?
Yes, according to the Financial Times, which reported that SCI confirmed a winner took part in the 2026 Altai ibex hunt. The winner has not been publicly named.
Who is Kevin Small?
He is a private individual. The Financial Times calls him a longtime Republican donor and says he had gone hunting with Trump Jr on earlier occasions; it reported that he was a guest on the 2026 ibex hunt.
Did the auction winners hunt argali?
Nothing public shows that. The SCI listing was for an ibex hunt and offered argali upgrades through the outfitter, but no source reports that either winner took one.
Sources
- Inside Donald Trump Jr’s Mongolian hunting trip with a Kremlin-linked businessman — Financial Times, October 27, 2026
- 2025 SCI Convention: FN Friday Night Auction — Safari Club International, January 24, 2025
- 7-day VIP Altay Ibex hunt hosted by Donald Trump Jr and Kaan KaraKaya for One Hunter — Safari Club International (auction listing and terms), January 24, 2025
- Charitable contributions: Quid pro quo contributions — Internal Revenue Service, accessed October 28, 2026
- Trump Jr.’s argali trophy hunt in Mongolia cost American taxpayers $77,000 — Humane World for Animals, June 9, 2020
- Donald Trump Jr. Went to Mongolia, Got Special Treatment From the Government and Killed an Endangered Sheep — ProPublica, December 11, 2019
This article is news reporting and analysis based on the public sources listed above, as they stood on the dates shown. Where officials, lawmakers or analysts disagree, including on whether an action is lawful, their positions are attributed to them; Donald Trump Class Action is not a court and nothing here is legal advice. Facts in a developing story can change.