Irish mixed martial arts champion Conor McGregor has drawn praise from US President Donald Trump on a St Patrick’s Day visit to the Oval Office, when the Irishman criticised immigration at home and angered Irish politicians.
“Ireland is at the cusp of potentially losing its Irishness,” McGregor told reporters, adding: “In 10 years, Dublin city centre has gone from one of the most safest cities in Europe to one of the most dangerous.”
McGregor’s visit and comments angered Irish leaders and disrupted a carefully managed St Patrick’s Day celebration in Washington for Ireland’s political leaders on the day itself, March 17.
From New York, Tánaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) and foreign minister Simon Harris protested: “Conor McGregor is not in the US representing Ireland, he doesn’t speak for Ireland or its people.”
McGregor’s visit came a few days after a socially conservative evangelical Irish family disrupted another key St Patrick’s Day event attended by Taoiseach (prime minister) Micheál Martin.
Speaking to reporters in the White House briefing room alongside the Trump administration’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt, McGregor attacked what he called an “illegal immigration racket” in Ireland which he said was “running ravage in the country”.
He wore a green pinstripe suit for photographs alongside Trump and Elon Musk which the White House afterwards posted online. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr also posted photographs of himself sparring with McGregor during the visit.
The 36 year-old McGregor has expressed interest in standing for Ireland’s presidency in an election that must be held by October 27, 2025. The two-term incumbent, Michael D Higgins, cannot stand again under the country’s constitution.
The martial arts champion has tried to use immigration issues to boost his profile, with Trump and his administration proving strong supporters.
McGregor was present at the US President’s inauguration in the US Capitol’s Rotunda, among a carefully selected number of international guests that included Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Argentina’s President Javier Milei.
Nigel Farge, Reform UK party leader politician, travelled to Washington in hopes of attending but “didn’t make the cut”, as he afterwards admitted.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which McGregor came to prominence, was founded by a key Trump supporter, Irish-US businessman Dana White.
Critics in Ireland argued McGregor was unworthy of any public platform, noting that in November 2024 the Irish High Court in a civil case found him guilty of the sexual assault of a woman in a Dublin hotel in December 2018.
McGregor was ordered to pay almost €250,000 in compensation but has since appealed the verdict.
