LONDON — Irish eyes aren’t smiling on Conor McGregor’s St. Patrick’s Day bromance with President Trump.
The mixed martial arts fighter’s anti-immigration remarks and criticism of the Irish government during a visit to the White House on Monday were slammed by Ireland’s leaders, who said he doesn’t speak for the country or its citizens.
“St. Patrick’s Day around the world is a day rooted in community, humanity, friendship and fellowship,” Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin wrote on the social media platform 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 cozied up to Trump in the Oval Office as they lauded each others’ work ethic. The two gripped fists for a photo as McGregor wrapped his arm around the president’s neck like he was about to apply a bulldog choke.
The photo op followed a short appearance in the briefing room, where McGregor criticized his country’s government as having “abandoned the voices of the people of Ireland.” He said there was “zero action with zero accountability” and complained about the “illegal immigration racket running ravage” over the country.
“We consider America our big sibling,” McGregor said. “We wish to be taken care of by the big bro. You know, the United States should look after its little bro.”
McGregor, wearing a muted green pin-striped suit, and his family posed for photos with Trump and Elon Musk, the tech titan who is the U.S. president’s special advisor.
The Irish Times wrote that while the White House visit may have been revolutionary for fans of McGregor’s alternative voice, it was “enough to curdle many a pint of stout on both sides of the Atlantic.”
McGregor’s visit came a week after Martin made the annual ceremonial visit to Washington to hand the president a bowl of shamrocks in advance of the Irish holiday. Trump, an Ultimate Fighting Championship fan, had raised some eyebrows by calling McGregor his favorite person in Ireland, saying “he’s got the best tattoos I’ve ever seen.”
McGregor, past his prime in the ring, has flirted with the idea of running for president of Ireland. But legal problems could cloud his political future.
“Conor McGregor has never been elected to anything, he doesn’t represent the Irish people,” Colum Eastwood, leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, said on X. “In fact, we’re all pretty embarrassed by him.”
A Dublin jury found McGregor civilly liable last year for raping a woman in a hotel after a night of heavy drug use. He denied the accusation and is appealing the verdict and a judgment awarding the woman 250,000 Euros ($272,000) and may have to pay legal fees topping 1 million euros ($1.1 million).
An Irish whiskey and a video game company cut ties with McGregor after the verdict.
McGregor also faces a lawsuit in Florida for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in the bathroom of the Kaseya Center, home arena of the Miami Heat, during a 2023 NBA Finals game with the Denver Nuggets.
McGregor struck back at Martin’s criticism, saying he doesn’t represent the people of Ireland.
“Shame on him for saying that, speaking down on an Irishman,” McGregor told Sky News. “I won’t speak about him personally, throw a jab. I could, I could throw many jabs at him, I could throw jabs handily.”
Melley writes for the Associated Press.