Fighter Conor McGregor teases Irish presidential run, talks immigration on St. Patrick’s Day at White House

MMA fighter Conor McGregor coyly teased his expected presidential run in Ireland, prior to a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House for St. Patrick’s Day.

Appearing before the press prior to the meeting with Trump, McGregor called the U.S. the “big sibling” in the relationship with Ireland.

When McGregor visited Trump for the inauguration, he said he’d take a wait-and-see attitude about a potential presidential run of his own in Ireland. Irish media has reported he’s floated his plans for the Irish presidency on social media.

While he didn’t talk explicitly about running for president during his St. Patrick’s Day appearance today at the White House, McGregor wasn’t shy about framing the issues. 

“So it’s important for Ireland to have a peaceful capital, [to have a] prosperous country for 40 million Irish Americans to have a place to visit, to come back to their home,” said McGregor in the White House press briefing room, flanked by Trump Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. “So, we wish for our relationship with the United States to continue, and we wish to be taken care of by the big bro. You know, the United States should look after its little bro, and that’s how we feel.” 

McGregor pointed to a number of pressing issues for Ireland, such as illegal immigration, to which he wanted to draw the attention of Americans. He said that Ireland has never had its issues highlighted on the “main stage.” 

“You know, our government has 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,” McGregor told the reporters. “What is going on in Ireland is a travesty.” 

It is a government of “zero action” and “zero accountability,” he said. 

He complained that taxpayer money is being spent on overseas issues and the illegal immigration “racket is running ravage” on the 5.5-million-person country.  

When asked by a reporter about issues such as the status of illegal Irish immigrants seeking asylum and tariffs between the two nations, McGregor looked at the reporters before Leavitt stepped in. 

McGregor’s response may be because illegal Irish immigrants represent just a tiny fraction of both illegal immigrants in the U.S. and the estimated 31.5 million American citizens who claim Irish ancestry. 

“Conor is here to meet with the President. He’ll be meeting with him later this afternoon,” said Leavitt. “We couldn’t think of a better guest to have with us on St Patrick’s Day. We’re both wearing our green. This was not planned, but very festive.” 

Later in the day, during the afternoon briefing, there were no questions by reporters about the McGregor-Trump meeting, nor was a statement released by the White House about the sit-down. 

The second-ranking person in the Irish government, Simon Harris, cautioned that the MMA fighter doesn’t speak for Ireland or the Irish government. 

“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,” said Harris, according to the Irish Times. 

“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,” Harris added.  

Last week Trump met with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin to officially talk about the trade deficit the U.S. has with the country. 

The meeting was mostly positive, even though Trump complained about Ireland luring American companies to the Emerald Isle with low tax rates, according to Reuters.   

“We’ve built prosperity through free and fair trade with partners all over the world, and particularly here in these United States, let us continue to build on that foundation,” Martin said. 

McGregor attracts some controversy in Ireland and is appealing a civil court decision to pay $257,000 to a woman who accused him of rape in 2018.