Conor McGregor's meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on St Patrick's Day has drawn sharp criticism from Irish political leaders, who say the MMA fighter does not represent Ireland. During the Oval Office encounter, McGregor praised Trump's work ethic as 'inspiring', while Trump called McGregor 'fantastic'.
McGregor used the occasion to criticise the Irish government over immigration, describing it as an administration of 'zero action with zero accountability'. He claimed rural towns in Ireland had been 'overrun' by illegal immigration and said Irish Americans needed to hear about the issues. McGregor has previously expressed interest in running for the Irish presidency.
Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin said McGregor's remarks were 'wrong' and did not reflect the views of the Irish people. Deputy premier Simon Harris stated that McGregor 'has no mandate' to speak for Ireland and was visiting in a personal capacity. Harris added that he would rather talk about Nikita Hand, the woman who won a civil rape case against McGregor in 2024.
McGregor was found civilly liable for assaulting Hand in a Dublin hotel in 2018 after a High Court trial. A judge later said the jury had 'conclusively determined' that McGregor raped Hand. McGregor is appealing the outcome. Harris said he does not see McGregor becoming Ireland's next president.
