CONOR McGregor made a surprise visit to the White House earlier for a St Patrick’s Day meeting with Donald Trump.
The MMA fighter was welcomed to the US president’s official residence today, telling reporters in the West Wing that he was going to voice concerns about immigration issues in Ireland when he spoke to Mr Trump.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who confirmed McGregor was to meet the president on Monday afternoon, said the administration could not think of a “better guest to have with us on St Patrick’s Day”.
However, Taoiseach Micheal Martin later said McGregor’s claims were “wrong”, and did not reflect the views of the Irish people.
He posted on X: “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.”
McGregor, who has previously stated an intent to run for the Irish presidency, claimed the Irish government was one of “zero action with zero accountability”.
But Tanaiste Simon Harris said that McGregor was not in the US to represent Ireland and did not speak for the people of Ireland, and “has no mandate to”.
He said: “It’s for President Trump to invite wherever he wants to his home, and he’s perfectly entitled to do whatever he wishes in relation to who he decides to invite to the White House.
“But let me be very clear, Conor McGregor is not here in the United States representing Ireland or the people of Ireland. He’s here in a personal capacity.
“He doesn’t speak for Ireland. He doesn’t speak for the people of Ireland. He has no mandate to do such.
“My views on him are very clear, well established, previously articulated, long standing and on the public record.”
Mr Harris also said he does not see McGregor becoming the next president of Ireland.
During his exchange with reporters on Monday, McGregor criticised the Irish government on immigration issues.
He added: “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.
“What is going on in Ireland is a travesty.
“Our money is being spent on overseas issues that is nothing to do with the Irish people.
“The illegal immigration racket is running ravage on the country.”
Meanwhile, Mr Trump said he would speak to Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Tuesday about ending the Ukraine war, with territorial concessions by Kyiv and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant likely to feature prominently in the talks.
“We want to see if we can bring that war to an end,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One during a flight to the Washington area from Florida.
“Maybe we can, maybe we can’t, but I think we have a very good chance.
“I’ll be speaking to President Putin on Tuesday. A lot of work’s been done over the weekend.”
Asked what concessions were being considered in ceasefire negotiations, Trump said: “We’ll be talking about land. We’ll be talking about power plants … We’re already talking about that, dividing up certain assets.”
