President Donald Trump hosted Irish MMA fighter Conor McGregor at the White House for St. Patricks day, only weeks after the fighter was found liable for raping a woman.
McGregor, who was investigated for inciting violence and was accused of sexual assault by multiple women, was welcomed by Trump in the Oval Office.
“Your work ethic is inspiring,” the UFC fighter told Trump, who was showing off a map that displayed the newly renamed “Gulf of America.”
McGregor, who is mounting a long-shot bid for Ireland’s presidency on an anti-immigrant platform, railed against the country’s immigration policies from the White House briefing room Monday morning.
“The illegal immigration racket is running ravage on the country. There are rural towns in Ireland that have been overrun in one swoop,” McGregor said, gripping the podium.
He is notorious for his hostile views on non-white foreigners and was accused of inciting violence during Dublin’s anti-immigrant riots in 2023. Like Trump, he has been accused of sexual assault by multiple women, and an Irish court ordered him to pay 248,000 euros (around $257,000) to an Irish woman who sued him for rape.
He is currently facing another civil lawsuit for sexual battery in Florida, where a woman has accused him of attempting to rape her in a bathroom.
Trump singled out McGregor as his favorite Irishman during Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin’s White House visit last week, gushing about his signature chest tattoos.
“He’s got the best tattoos I’ve ever seen,” he marveled.
During his brief but telling appearance at the White House briefing room, McGregor echoed Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk—who has slashed federal programs like the U.S. Agency for International Development—claiming Irish money was “being spent on overseas issues that have nothing to do with the Irish people.”
Meanwhile, the White House shared an Instagram video of McGregor strutting through the property with his signature exaggerated walk.
In response to McGregor’s immigration remarks, Martin posted on X, “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.”
