Conor McGregor has hit out at the Taoiseach after Micheál Martin condemned remarks he made during a visit to the White House on St Patrick’s Day.
The MMA fighter, who was last year found by a civil court to have sexually assaulted Nikita Hand, met President Trump in the Oval Office and spoke to journalists about Irish politics.
Conor McGregor meets with President Trump in the Oval Office! 🇮🇪🍀🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/xJB8ZauXAZ
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 17, 2025
He also met Elon Musk and posed for a photo with US Secretary of Health RF Kennedy Jr, holding a green ‘Make Ireland Great Again’ baseball cap.
McGregor told the US President his work ethic was “inspiring” to which Mr Trump replied, “Yours is too. You are fantastic."
The Dubliner accused the Irish Government of “abandoning” Irish people and on the topic of immigration claimed, “Ireland is at the cusp of potentially losing its Irishness”.
“There are rural towns in Ireland that have been overrun in one swoop, that have become a minority in one swoop,” he said.
“So, issues need to be addressed and the 40 million Irish Americans need to hear this because if not there will be no place to come home and visit.”
Welcome to the White House, @TheNotoriousMMA! 🇮🇪🇺🇸 https://t.co/EekkIeVflF
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 17, 2025
Afterwards Micheál Martin tweeted that, “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.”
In response, McGregor spoke to Sky News about his achievements in business.
“I am an employer of over 200 people - almost 300 people in the country of Ireland,” he said.
“He’s an employer of none.
“Every available metric available to us has shown that the Government of Ireland currently has failed the people of Ireland.
“In 10-years, Dublin city centre has gone from one of the safest city centres in Europe to one of the most dangerous.
“So, shame on him for saying that, speaking down on an Irishman.”
Reaction
There was even stronger reaction from Mr Martin's predecessor, Leo Varadkar, who described McGregor on his Instagram story as a "convicted criminal".
"Good Irish dads teach their sons to detest men like Conor and their daughters to avoid him," he wrote.
"Irish America - know this. Period."
Despite the verdict of the civil court, McGregor has always denied raping Ms Hand.
If you have been impacted by rape or sexual assault you can contact the Rape Crisis Centre 24-Hour National Helpline on 1800 77 8888.
Main image: Split of McGregor with Donald Trump and Micheál Martin. Pictures by: The White House and Alamy.com
