WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 17: Former UFC champion and Irish businessman Conor McGregor briefly speaks with reporters alongside White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt before meeting with President Donald Trump in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Saint Patrick's Day, March 17, 2025 in Washington, DC. McGregor said he is meeting with Trump to talk about how Ireland is losing its identity to immigrants, among other topics. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by CHIP SOMODEVILLA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Irish MMA fighter Conor McGregor caused a stir on St. Patrick’s Day with an anti-immigration speech at the White House while meeting with President Donald Trump.
McGregor, dressed in a green suit, spoke to reporters in the briefing room alongside Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt. He criticized illegal immigration, claiming it was “ravaging” Ireland and that some rural towns had been “overrun in one swoop.” He warned that Ireland was “at the cusp of potentially losing its Irishness.”
His remarks were met with strong criticism from Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, who condemned them on X, saying they “do not reflect the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day or the views of the Irish people.”
McGregor, a former UFC champion, has a history of controversial statements and legal troubles, including allegations of sexual assault in Ireland and the U.S. He has also hinted at a political future in Ireland, with support from billionaire Elon Musk.
