The Financial Times reported on October 27, 2026 that, according to a guide, Donald Trump Jr killed an Altai argali on a late-summer hunt in western Mongolia. The report has put a little-known body of rules back in view: the federal and treaty regime for any argali trophy import into the United States. No source has said that a trophy from the trip was brought into the country, that anyone applied for a permit, or that any rule was broken.
Where it stands: On October 28 there was no public record of a US import application or permit for an argali taken in 2026. For the 2019 hunt, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) found in December 2019 no basis for pursuing the matter, and no violation by Trump Jr or anyone on either trip had been reported.
Speaking for Trump Jr, a spokesperson described his bond with Umar Kremlev, the boxing federation chief whom the FT places at the camp for two days, as “a personal friendship, not a business relationship.” Kremlev and Arthur Martirosov, the Russian businessman the FT says came with him, did not answer the FT.
What US law governs an argali trophy import?
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) does, through a special rule written for argali in three Central Asian countries. Mongolia is one of them.
Federal regulations list argali in Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan as threatened, a status set by a 1992 rule, while argali everywhere else carry the stricter endangered label. The statute defines a threatened species as one “likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.”
The argali special rule, at 50 CFR 17.40(j), says that “all prohibitions of § 17.31 of this part and exemptions of § 17.32 of this part shall apply to this species in Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Tajikistan.” In plain terms, the general bans on importing threatened wildlife apply, along with the permit route out of them.
That route is 50 CFR 17.32. It says that “upon receipt of a complete application, the Director may issue a permit for any activity otherwise prohibited with regard to threatened wildlife.” The Director is the head of FWS.
| Rule | What it does for a Mongolian argali |
|---|---|
| 50 CFR 17.11 | Lists Mongolian argali as threatened |
| 50 CFR 17.40(j) | Applies threatened-species bans and permit exemptions |
| 50 CFR 17.32 | Lets FWS permit an otherwise barred import |
| CITES Appendix II | Trade allowed under treaty paperwork |
| Lacey Act, 16 U.S.C. 3372 | Bars wildlife taken against foreign law |
| Mongolian quota | Caps foreign hunting licences each year |
Can FWS let argali trophies in without a permit?
Only if it first makes formal findings and publishes a notice. The special rule lets the FWS Director drop the individual permit for sport-hunted argali from the three countries if certain conditions hold.
The conditions include findings that the countries’ argali populations “are sufficiently large to sustain sport hunting,” and that hunting revenue goes chiefly to conservation. Only then may the Director “authorize by publication of a notice in the Federal Register the importation of personal sport-hunted argali trophies, taken legally in Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Tajikistan after the date of such notice, without a Threatened Species permit.”
The regulation sets the conditions; it does not itself say whether such a notice has been issued for Mongolia. A 2024 report for the UN Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) describes US treatment as allowing trophy imports from the three countries only under “limited and specifically authorized permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.”
In 2019, the agency declined to tell ProPublica if an import application had been filed for the argali Trump Jr shot that August. Our rundown of the Trump Jr argali hunts covers what is and is not documented.
Where does the CITES treaty fit in?
CITES, an international pact covering commerce in wild fauna and flora, adds treaty paperwork on top of US law. The Altai argali falls under its Appendix II.
The CMS report notes that the species is in Appendix II apart from two subspecies (hodgsoni and nigrimontana) that sit in the tighter Appendix I. Appendix II covers species whose trade is allowed but controlled.
FWS handles both systems in one office. Its international permits program says it issues “an average 20,000 permits per year,” and that for every application it reviews “relevant domestic and foreign laws to ensure legality.”
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What does the Lacey Act add?
The Lacey Act makes it unlawful to import wildlife taken in breach of another country’s law. That is why the way a foreign permit was issued can matter to US officials.
The relevant clause, 16 U.S.C. 3372, reaches any animal handled in breach of a state rule “or in violation of any foreign law.”
The question came up in 2019. After ProPublica reported that Mongolia issued Trump Jr’s permit retroactively, the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group, wrote that “it is unclear whether the issuance of a permit after the hunt and kill comports with Mongolian law.” FWS later said there was “no basis” to look further, The Hill reported. His spokesman said in 2019 that the permits had been obtained through an outfitter. No authority has found a Lacey Act violation, and none had been reported as of October 28.
How does Mongolia’s argali quota work?
Mongolia bars its own people from general argali hunting and sells a limited number of licences to foreign trophy hunters each year. The CMS report says local hunting has been banned since 1953.
ProPublica reported in 2019 that the government had set aside 86 argali permits that year, divided among hunting regions, for a season from July 1 to Sept. 30. Fees were supposed to pay herders and scouts and fund surveys, it said, and outfitters typically advertised hunts at between $24,000 and $50,000.
Critics question how well the system is run. Speaking to ProPublica in 2019, Nathan Conaboy, a co-author of Zoological Society of London research on Mongolian argali, called the process “an insider’s game featuring a poorly tracked quota system.”
Americans have used the system for years. The Center for Biological Diversity counted 65 argali trophies imported from Mongolia by US hunters between 2007 and 2018.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it legal to import an argali trophy from Mongolia to the US?
It can be. Mongolian argali are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and a special rule applies the threatened-species bans along with a permit process run by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. CITES Appendix II paperwork also applies.
Do you need a permit to bring argali horns into the US?
Generally yes. Under 50 CFR 17.32 the Fish and Wildlife Service may permit an otherwise barred import of threatened wildlife. The argali rule lets the agency waive that permit only after formal findings and a Federal Register notice.
What does the Lacey Act say about hunting trophies?
It bars importing an animal that was hunted or handled in breach of another country’s law, so whether the hunt was lawful abroad matters.
Did Trump Jr import an argali trophy?
No public source says so. ProPublica reported in 2019 that the Fish and Wildlife Service would not say whether he applied, and nothing has been reported about any 2026 import. No finding of a violation had been reported as of October 28.
What is Mongolia’s annual argali quota?
For the 2019 season the quota was 86 argali permits, ProPublica reported, split among hunting regions. Licences go to foreign hunters under an annual quota.
Sources
- Inside Donald Trump Jr’s Mongolian hunting trip with a Kremlin-linked businessman — Financial Times, October 27, 2026
- 50 CFR 17.11: Endangered and threatened wildlife — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, current as of October 28, 2026
- 50 CFR 17.40: Special rules for mammals — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, current as of October 28, 2026
- 50 CFR 17.32: Permits for threatened species — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, current as of October 28, 2026
- 16 U.S.C. 1532: Definitions — GovInfo (U.S. Code, 2023 edition), 2023 edition
- 16 U.S.C. 3372: Prohibited acts — GovInfo (U.S. Code, 2023 edition), 2023 edition
- Permits (International Affairs) — U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, accessed October 28, 2026
- Argali Overview Report (UNEP/CMS/ARG/RS1/Doc.3) — Convention on Migratory Species (UNEP/CMS), August 12, 2024
- Donald Trump Jr. Went to Mongolia, Got Special Treatment From the Government and Killed an Endangered Sheep — ProPublica, December 11, 2019
- U.S. Law Enforcement Urged to Investigate Trump Jr.’s Reported Killing of Mongolian Argali Sheep Without Permit — Center for Biological Diversity, December 13, 2019
- FWS: There’s ‘no basis’ to investigate Trump Jr.’s Mongolian hunting trip — The Hill, December 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.