On Monday, the observance of St. Patrick’s Day at the White House was marked by the invitation extended to Irish mixed martial artist and UFC celebrity, Conor McGregor. Known for being a magnet for controversy, McGregor was recently held responsible in a civil law case in Ireland related to sexual assault.
President Donald Trump commented on his admiration for McGregor in response to a query for his preferred Irish personality. The question was raised while Trump was at a press event with Micheál Martin, the Prime Minister of Ireland, at the White House. Trump said, ‘I quite enjoy your fighter. He sports some fantastic tattoos. Isn’t Conor outstanding?’
In a recent case, an Irish civil court adjudicated that McGregor was accountable for the sexual harassment of Nikita Hand in 2018. As part of this verdict, the court ordered McGregor to compensate with a sum of 250,000 Euros. Apart from this incident, there’s an additional claim of sexual assault against McGregor by a woman during an NBA Finals match in 2023, which has led to another lawsuit against the UFC star.
McGregor has maintained his innocence and refuted all allegations levied against him. In the face of such controversies, the White House chose St. Patrick’s Day to host McGregor as their esteemed guest. Prior to his introduction, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, ‘We couldn’t envision a better accompaniment for our St. Patrick’s Day gathering.’
Following his introduction, McGregor took the opportunity to speak on immigration, a topic which he appeared to have strong views on. In his statement, he expressed concern about illegal immigration adversely affecting his home country. He said, ‘The wheeling and dealing of illegal immigration is wreaking havoc on our nation. Certain remote Irish towns have been overrun virtually overnight, with locals becoming a minority.’
Micheál Martin, the Prime Minister of Ireland present at the White House, promptly rebuked McGregor’s comments. He emphasized that St. Patrick’s Day is globally recognized as a day for community, compassion, comradeship, and goodwill. In response to the UFC star’s remarks, Martin wrote, ‘Conor McGregor’s words are misguided, and do not align with the ethos of St. Patrick’s Day or the opinions of Irish citizens.’
Apart from his remarks, McGregor also demonstrated his infamously ostentatious ‘billionaire strut’ on the White House grounds and managed to secure a one-on-one meeting with Trump in the Oval Office. During their meeting, McGregor complimented Trump stating, ‘Your dedication to your work is motivating.’
Trump and McGregor seem to have certain unfortunate similarities drawn from their personal lives. For one, they have both faced legal consequences tied to sexual abuse allegations. In Trump’s case, he was found guilty of sexually harassing and subsequently slandering author E. Jean Carroll. He was ordered to pay around $80 million in damages by the court last year.