By Trevor Hunnicutt and Padraic Halpin
WASHINGTON/DUBLIN (Reuters) – Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor paid a St. Patrick’s Day visit to President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday to criticize Ireland’s immigration policy, trial from the country’s prime minister.
McGregor wore a green pinstripe suit and visited with Trump and senior administration officials. Just last week, Trump hosted the Irish prime minister to celebrate a more traditional celebration of the country’s close ties.
“Our government has long given up on the voice of the Irish people,” McGregor said in a White House press conference room. “Illegal immigration rackets broke out in the country.”
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin condemned the comment, and Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris said McGregor was not representing Ireland at the White House.
“Conor McGregor’s remarks are wrong, do not reflect the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, nor do they reflect the views of the Irish people,” Martin, who was re-elected in November last year, said on social media.
Over the past two years, Ireland has been proud of the welcome of immigrants, a proud country that has struggled to adapt to record asylum seekers, pushing the issue to the political agenda and sparking some protests against refugee accommodation nationwide.
McGregor's comments came as Trump launched a tough policy to combat illegal immigration, which he declared a national emergency when he launched the day of his inauguration, which began in January's second term at the White House.
Trump spokesman Karoline Leavitt told reporters earlier that the White House “can’t think of a better guest with us on St. Patrick’s Day.”
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on whether they agreed with McGregor’s remarks.
McGregor has not been in the UFC since breaking his leg in the 2021 fight, and last year an Irish court was sentenced to nearly €250,000 ($273,000) in damages for beating a woman at a party in Dublin in 2018.
Plaintiff Nikita Hand claims McGregor sexually assaulted her. McGregor filed a jury verdict.
The fighter has suggested in the past that he might try to compete for the October election to run for the Irish presidential ceremony.
However, he will get his name on the ballot, but as a candidate, he must be nominated by at least 20 of the 234 members of the lower and upper houses of Congress, or must be nominated for four of the 31 local councils in the county.
Few elected Irish politicians share McGregor's strong anti-immigration views, and many publicly criticized him after his civil case last November.
Trump's allies have long promoted the right-wing and anti-immigration political movement in Europe. The U.S. president also celebrates UFC and its relationship with long-time boss Dana White.
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(Reported by Trevor Hunnicutt and Padraic Halpin; Editor of Leslie Adler)
