Dressed in a green three-piece suit and flanked by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, former UFC Champion Conor McGregor began his St. Patrick’s Day visit to the White House Monday morning with some impassioned, incendiary statements to the press.
“I’m here to raise the issues the people of Ireland face, and it’ll be music to the people of Ireland’s ears,” McGregor told reporters. “Never on the main stage has the issues the people of Ireland faced been spoke. 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 was set to meet with President Donald Trump, whose work ethic he called “inspiring,” Monday afternoon. During their meeting, McGregor said he intends to discuss the Irish government’s spending and its handling of the country’s ongoing influx of foreign immigrants, which the famous fighter claimed has put Ireland on the “cusp of potentially losing its Irishness.”
“What is going on in Ireland is a travesty. Our government is the government of zero action with zero accountability,” McGregor remarked. “Our money is being spent on overseas issues that has nothing to do with the Irish people. The illegal immigration racket is [ravaging] the country.” McGregor said native Irish citizens have been made the “minority” in their hometowns.
“Issues need to be addressed, and the 40 million Irish Americans, as I said, need to hear this because, if not, there will be no place to come home and visit,” McGregor continued. “Ireland is at the cusp of potentially losing its Irishness, and I’m here to raise the issue.”
“It’s also St. Patrick’s Day, so a little bit of celebrations for sure,” he added. “A little bit of learning and and listening to Mr. President Trump, whose work ethic is inspiring. All that does to me is highlight the lack of work on my side. So that’s it. That’s what I’m here for.”
Monday is not the first time McGregor has criticized the Irish government. In November 2023, he responded to riots on Ireland’s streets over an Algerian immigrant’s stabbing of three young children and a care assistant by tweeting, “Ireland, we are at war.” A month later, he expressed his interest in potentially running to become the President of Ireland.
Last week, during his meeting with Ireland’s Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, President Trump praised McGregor, telling reporters, “I do happen to like your fighter. He’s got the best tattoos I’ve ever seen. Conor’s great.” McGregor was, notably, one of the celebrities in attendance at Trump’s inauguration in January.
In addition to his press room remarks, the White House also shared on X an image of McGregor posing between photos of Trump and Vice President JD Vance, as well as a video of McGregor sauntering out of the White House in his green suit and proclaiming, “Happy Paddy’s Day, America!”
You can watch McGregor’s speech in the video above.
