Conor McGregor, the Irish mixed martial arts fighter who lost a civil trial for rape, took over the White House lectern to launch a political speech on St Patrick’s Day.
On a tour of the White House press room on Monday before meeting Donald Trump, McGregor stepped on stage unexpectedly and told reporters illegal immigration was destroying Ireland.
“Ireland is at the cusp of potentially losing its Irishness,” McGregor said from the press room podium, while wearing a green suit, waistcoat and tie.
Micheál Martin, Ireland’s taoiseach, responded on X: “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 had “no mandate” to speak for the Irish people, Simon Harris, Ireland’s deputy prime minister warned.
Mr Trump had suggested that McGregor was his favourite Irish person during an Oval Office press conference with Mr Martin last Wednesday.
Donald Trump has said that Conor McGregor is his favourite Irishman
McGregor, 36, harbours ambitions of becoming Ireland’s next president. The meeting will fuel speculation that Mr Trump could endorse him in an election, which must be held by Oct 27.
The fighter attacked the Irish government, a coalition of the centre-Right Fianna Fail and Fine Gael parties led by Mr Martin and Mr Harris.
McGregor said that it had “long since 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. What is going on in Ireland is a travesty.”
He said: “The illegal immigration racket is running ravage on the country.
“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 need to hear this because if not there will be no place to come home and visit.”
Rising levels of immigration have sparked protests and riots in Ireland, including arson attacks on asylum centres by far-Right groups. Tensions have been exacerbated by the housing crisis in Ireland and high healthcare costs.
McGregor added: “I’m here to raise the issues the people of Ireland face. It will be music to the people of Ireland’s ears.
“Never on the main stage has the issues the people of Ireland faced been spoke.”
‘Brutally raped and battered’
The former Ultimate Fighting champion was ordered to pay almost €250,000 (£210,000) in damages after a civil jury of eight women and four men found that he raped Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel in December 2018.
Ms Hand had told the court that the Irish fighter would “not take no for an answer”. She alleged McGregor pinned her down, choked her three times and “brutally raped and battered” her.
He said that it was consensual sex.
McGregor is expected to argue that the finding that he raped the 35-year-old mother of one was unsafe when he appears at the Court of Appeal on March 21.
Like McGregor, Mr Trump was also found liable for sexual assault in a civil court. In 2023, a jury found him liable for sexually abusing the advice columnist E Jean Carroll in 1996, awarding her $5 million (£3.8 million) in damages.
“We couldn’t think of a better guest to have with us on St Patrick’s Day,” said Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, who was also wearing green.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told reporters: ‘We couldn’t think of a better guest to have with us on St Patrick’s Day’ – Jim Lo Scalzo/Bloomberg
In New York, Mr Harris said: “It’s for President Trump to invite whoever he wants into his home and he is perfectly entitled to do whatever he wishes in relation to who he decides to invite to the White House.
“But let me be very clear. Conor McGregor is not here in the United States representing Ireland or the people of Ireland. He is here in a personal capacity. He doesn’t speak for Ireland. He doesn’t speak for the people of Ireland and has no mandate to do so.”
He added: “I don’t want to comment on something on a matter that may end up before the courts again other than to say I have spoken to Nikita Hand. I admire her courage and her bravery and I’d much rather be talking about Nikita Hand than Conor McGregor, quite frankly.”
The Irish Times reported that Mr Harris said Ireland’s presidential election would be decided by people living in Ireland, when he was asked about the possibility of a Trump endorsement.
“I don’t wish to provide free air time here to Mr McGregor. I don’t expect he is going to be the president of Ireland,” he said.
