McGregor was paraded around the White House on St Patrick’s Day, with footage circulated on official social media accounts ahead of his surprise meeting with the US president.
A picture from the Oval Office showed the fighter smiling with an arm around Mr Trump. When asked about the meeting, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declared: "We couldn’t think of a better guest to have with us on St Patrick’s Day."
Earlier, standing at the lectern in the White House press room, McGregor said he was there to "raise the issues the people of Ireland face", adding: "The illegal immigration racket is running ravage on the country."
This prompted Micheál Martin to write on social media: "Conor McGregor’s remarks are wrong, and do not reflect the spirit of St Patrick’s Day, or the views of the people of Ireland."
McGregor’s appearance in the White House also angered anti-violence campaigners given that he was found civilly liable in a High Court damages case taken by 35-year-old Nikita Hand, who accused him of raping her in a Dublin hotel in December 2018.
"He's here on a personal capacity"
Natasha O’Brien, 25, who was brutally assaulted in 2022 by a then-serving member of the Irish Defence Forces, Cathal Crotty, said McGregor’s appearance at the White House was a "slap in the face".
Ms O’Brien described the meeting as a "devastating blow" that "hurt Ireland and the people of Ireland".
She added: "Conor McGregor does not represent Ireland, he is the complete opposite of what the Irish people stand for. It should be Nikita Hand representing us."
Conor McGregor: A photo posted on the White House's X account.
Tánaiste Simon Harris, who last week said Mr Trump should be invited to address the Houses of the Oireachtas, stated yesterday that the US president was entitled to invite whoever he wants into his home, but insisted McGregor "doesn’t speak for Ireland".
"Let me be very clear, Conor McGregor is not here in the United States representing Ireland or the people of Ireland. He’s here in a personal capacity," he said.
"He doesn’t speak for Ireland. He doesn’t speak for the people of Ireland.
"He has no mandate to do such. My views on him are very clear, well-established, previously articulated, long-standing and on the public record."
Irish deputy leader Simon Harris.
"I admire her bravery"
The Tánaiste said he had spoken to Ms Hand, adding: "I admire her bravery, her courage, and I’d much rather be talking about Nikita Hand than Conor McGregor, quite frankly."
Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar shared a clip of McGregor in the White House on social media and said that Irish America needed to know the UFC fighter was found liable for rape.
"Good Irish dads teach their sons to detest men like Conor and their daughters to avoid men like him. Irish America – know this. Period!" he wrote.
The judge in the case said the jury had "conclusively determined" that McGregor, 36, had raped Ms Hand. However, as the case was taken in the civil courts, the MMA fighter does not have a conviction for rape.
Yesterday, standing at the lectern in the White House press room, McGregor said he was there to "raise the issues the people of Ireland face", adding: "It will be music to the people of Ireland’s ears".
He claimed the Government had "abandoned the voices of the people of Ireland and it’s high time that America is made aware of what is going on in Ireland".
"The illegal immigration racket is running ravage on the country," he said.
"There are rural towns in Ireland that have been overrun in one swoop, that have become a minority in one swoop, so issues need to be addressed and the 40 million Irish Americans, as I said, need to hear this because if not there will be no place to come home and visit."
Gulf of America
Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of social media platform X and head of Mr Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), re-shared footage of McGregor speaking to reporters to his 219.5 million followers.
Mr Musk has been routinely amplifying far-right content from Ireland on his platform.
In a short video of the meeting in the Oval Office, the MMA fighter says "congratulations" after Mr Trump points to a map of "the Gulf of America", which controversially had its name changed from the Gulf of Mexico in an executive order signed by the President earlier this year.
McGregor can be seen telling Mr Trump that "your work ethic is inspiring, your work rate is inspiring", to which the US president replies: "Yours is too."
Conor McGregor meets with President Trump in the Oval Office! 🇮🇪🍀🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/xJB8ZauXAZ
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 17, 2025
The White House also shared a picture of McGregor, his partner Dee Devlin and their four children with the president and Mr Musk.
Another picture showed McGregor in a fighting pose in front of portraits of Mr Trump and vice-president JD Vance.
Last week, during the Taoiseach’s meeting with the president in the Oval Office, Mr Trump expressed his affection for McGregor when asked about his favorite Irish person.
"Conor's great, right?"
"He’s [McGregor] got the best tattoos I’ve ever seen… Conor’s great, right?" he remarked.
"You have a lot of great Irish fighters. I don’t know what that is, but Ireland has always had a lot of good fighters. You know why? Because they’re tough people. They’re smart people and they’re passionate people."
Mr Trump then recalled that the Taoiseach’s father was a champion boxer, allowing Mr Martin to speak about his father and not react to Mr Trump’s glowing remarks about McGregor.
However, the Taoiseach posted on social media yesterday to bluntly state that McGregor’s remarks were "wrong".
"St Patrick’s Day around the world is a day rooted in community, humanity, friendship and fellowship. Conor McGregor’s remarks are wrong," he said.
St. Patrick’s Day around the world is a day rooted in community, humanity, friendship and fellowship.
Conor McGregor’s remarks are wrong, and do not reflect the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, or the views of the people of Ireland.
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) March 17, 2025
Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore said the meeting must have been "gut-wrenching" for victims of gender-based violence.
"Rolling out the red carpet for McGregor in the White House is nothing short of disgusting. It must be gut-wrenching for women who have suffered from gender-based violence to see a man like this given this kind of welcome and platform," she said.
Sexual violence being normalized
Sinn Féin TD Claire Kerrane posted on social media yesterday that "Conor McGregor doesn’t speak for me".
Dublin Rape Crisis Centre chief executive Rachel Morrogh said the meeting was "shocking", adding: "Today of all days, it’s really important to stand by a truly heroic Irish community – the victims and survivors of sexual violence. We cannot be bystanders when sexual violence is being normalized when wrongdoers are being absolved by power and the overriding message to survivors is one of callous indifference."
It is not the first time McGregor has blindsided the Government on St Patrick’s Day. In 2019, he was given pride of place in the Chicago parade alongside then-mayor Rahm Emanuel and without the knowledge of then-Taoiseach Mr Varadkar, who was the official representative of the country.
McGregor, who attended Mr Trump’s inauguration in January, is appealing the High Court damages verdict against him with the case listed in the Court of Appeal for this Thursday.
Additional reporting by Sarah McGuinness and Brian Mahon.
* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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