Trump Brings Miss Universe Pageant to Moscow

The Moscow Pageant

On November 9, 2013, the Miss Universe pageant was held at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Russia, marking the first time the competition had been staged in that country. The event was made possible by a partnership between Donald Trump, who co-owned the Miss Universe Organization, and Aras Agalarov, a Russian-Azerbaijani billionaire real estate developer with close ties to the Kremlin. Agalarov’s company, the Crocus Group, served as the local host and reportedly paid Trump approximately $20 million for the privilege.

The pageant featured 86 contestants from around the world and was broadcast in the United States on NBC. Trump traveled to Moscow for the event and spent approximately two days in the city, staying at the Ritz-Carlton hotel.

Trump and the Agalarovs

The pageant cemented a relationship between Trump and the Agalarov family that would have significant consequences. Trump had first connected with Aras Agalarov and his pop-singer son Emin through a mutual contact. During the Moscow trip, Trump and the Agalarovs discussed plans for a Trump Tower Moscow, a long-sought ambition of Trump’s to build a branded skyscraper in the Russian capital.

Trump publicly praised Vladimir Putin in connection with the event, tweeting an invitation for the Russian president to attend the pageant and wondering whether Putin would “become my new best friend.” Putin did not attend but sent a congratulatory gift. Trump later said he had spoken with Putin by phone around this time, though the details of any such communication remained unclear.

Scrutiny and Investigation

The Moscow trip became a subject of intense scrutiny during the federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The Steele dossier, a collection of opposition research compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, alleged that compromising material had been gathered on Trump during his Moscow stay, claims Trump vehemently denied.

The connection proved consequential in other ways. In June 2016, when the Russian government sought to provide damaging information about Hillary Clinton to the Trump campaign, the intermediary was Rob Goldstone, a British publicist who worked for Emin Agalarov. Goldstone emailed Donald Trump Jr. to arrange the now-infamous meeting at Trump Tower on June 9, 2016, describing the offer as “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.” The chain of relationships that led to that meeting ran directly through the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow.