(AFP) – Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor, who has been found liable of sexual assault, met Donald Trump during a Saint Patrick’s Day visit on Monday during which he lashed out at illegal immigration in Ireland. “Ireland is at the cusp of potentially losing its Irishness,” said McGregor during an appearance in the White House briefing room alongside the president’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt. “The illegal immigration racket is running ravage on the country,” added the fighter, wearing a green business suit to mark Saint Patrick’s Day, the centuries-old celebration of his homeland.
Trump later hosted the 36-year-old former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star — whom he said last week was his favorite Irishman — in the Oval Office. McGregor posed for a picture with his arm around Trump’s shoulder as the president sat at his desk, and for another with tech tycoon and powerful Trump advisor Elon Musk. Tesla billionaire Musk previously backed McGregor when he spoke in the past about a possible presidential bid in Ireland. Musk has recently spoken out in support of a number of anti-immigration parties in Europe.
“Your work ethic is inspiring,” McGregor told Trump, according to footage posted by an aide to the US president. “Yours is too, you’re fantastic,” replied Trump. McGregor had earlier said he would be “listening” to Trump on immigration — one of the US president’s main focus areas as he seeks to ramp up deportations of people without proper documentation.
“We couldn’t think of a better guest to have with us on Saint Patrick’s Day,” Leavitt said. McGregor’s comments earned swift pushback from Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, who met with Trump last week in the White House and received a dressing down over trade. “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,” the premier posted on X.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a sport that combines various combat techniques and can be extremely violent. It has been gaining popularity, particularly as Trump campaigned in 2024 with stars and promoters of the UFC series that is popular with many male voters. Nicknamed “The Notorious,” McGregor is one of the biggest stars in UFC, the most famous and lucrative MMA league. He is known for his aggressive, provocative temperament — and noted for occasional anti-immigration outbursts.
In November 2024, the fighter was ordered by an Irish court to pay damages to a woman who claimed that McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in a hotel in Dublin in 2018. McGregor claimed they had consensual sex. More recently, the Irishman was sued in a US court in January, accused of sexual assault at an NBA game in Miami in 2023.
Trump was meanwhile ordered by a New York jury in a civil trial in 2023 to pay $5 million for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. Trump denied the allegations and appealed the verdict, which was upheld in December 2024.
© 2024 AFP
