Conor McGregor has announced his bid to become Ireland’s President just days after a controversial trip to the White House.
The MMA fighter, who was found to have raped a woman in a civil case in November in Dublin, announced his bid with an Instagram post which sees him standing in front of a private jet and wearing a Make Ireland Great Again cap.
The annoucement comes just days after McGregor spoke of an ‘illegal immigration racket ravaging our country’ at the White House.
On Instagram, McGregor wrote: ‘Ireland must fully implement the EU Migration Pact by June 12, 2026.
‘So between now and 12 June 2026, several pieces of legislation have to be passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas & then signed by the President.
‘The next presidential election must take place by 11 Nov 2025. Who else will stand up to Government and oppose this bill?
‘Any other Presidential candidate they attempt to put forward will be of no resistance to them I will!
‘For clarity also, as President, I would put forth this bill to referendum.
‘Although I oppose greatly this pact, it is neither mine nor governments choice to make. It is the people of Irelands choice! Always! That is a true democracy!’
On Monday, ahead of a press conference with Donald Trump, McGregor told an audience that Ireland was close to ‘potentially losing its Irishness’, laying into the Irish government as an administration of ‘zero action with zero accountability’.
‘Our money is being spent on overseas issues that is nothing to do with the Irish people,’ he said.
McGregor’s invitation to the White House came after Donald Trump last week singled out the sportsman as one of his favourite Irish people.
Conor McGregor praised Donald Trump’s ‘work ethic’ as ‘inspiring’ when they finally met on Monday.
Ahead of the meeting, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in the briefing room: ‘We couldn’t think of a better guest to have with us on St Patrick’s Day’.
McGregor’s appearance in Washington D.C was criticised by Irish leaders. Taoiseach Micheál Martin said his comments ‘did not reflect the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, or the views of the people of Ireland’.
Martin wrote on X that the holiday was ‘a day rooted in community, humanity, friendship and fellowship.’
Simon Harris, now deputy prime minister, said in a video published to social media while visiting New York: ‘It’s for President Trump to decide to invite whoever 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 and my views on him are very clear.’
McGregor has not held a role in office before. But he has claimed that he would be the ‘only logical choice’ for president of Ireland.
Ireland is headed by an elected president, with Michael D. Higgins currently in his second term.
However, most real political power lies with the Taoiseach, nominated by the Dáil, the lower house.
In September last year, McGregor posted on X: ‘As President I hold the power to summon the Dáil as well as dissolve it. So as i said before, I would have all the answers the people of Ireland seek from these thieves of the working man, these disrupters of the family unit, these destructors of small businesses, and on and on and on!
‘These charlatans in their positions of power would be summoned to answer to the people of Ireland and I would have it done by day end.
‘Or I would be left with no choice but to dissolve the Dáil entirely. Stop the train until. The people of Ireland deserve the answers they seek. Point blank. This would be my power as President. I know very well. Ireland needs an active President employed wholly by the people of Ireland. It is me. I am the only logical choice. 2025 is upcoming.’
In comments in December 2023, amid turbulent discourse around the Dublin riots triggered by the stabbings of three children and a carer in the city, McGregor made a case for himself as president.
‘Potential competition if I run. Gerry [Adams], 78. Bertie [Ahern]. 75. Enda [Kenny], 74. Each with unbreakable ties to their individual parties politics,’ he wrote online.
‘Regardless of what the public outside of their parties feel. These parties govern themselves vs govern the people.
‘Or me, 35. Young, active, passionate, fresh skin in the game. I listen. I support. I adapt. I have no affiliation/bias/favoritism toward any party. They would genuinely be held to account regarding the current sway of public feeling. I’d even put it all to vote.’
His bid received support from Andrew Tate and Elon Musk, now Trump’s cost-cutting tsar, who replied: ‘I think you could take them all single-handed. Not even fair.’
McGregor’s visit to the White House came months after he was found civilly liable in a High Court damages case in Dublin taken by a woman who accused him of rape.
Nikita Hand, also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin, won her claim against McGregor after accusing the professional fighter of raping her in a Dublin hotel in December 2018.
Ms Hand, 35, was awarded damages and costs after a three-week trial last year in which the jury found him civilly liable for assault.
A judge at the High Court in Dublin later said the jury had ‘conclusively determined’ that McGregor had raped Ms Hand.
Following the case, a wave of major retailers cut ties with the fighter and stopped selling his whiskey Proper No. Twelve Irish whiskey. He was also removed from video game Hitman.
McGregor is appealing against the outcome of the civil case.
Tanaiste Mr Harris said in his statement following McGregor’s White House visit: ‘I’ve spoken to Nikita Hand. I admire her bravery, her courage, and I’d much rather be talking about Nikita Hand than Conor McGregor, quite frankly.’
Furthermore, McGregor and the NBA’s Miami Heat are currently facing a federal lawsuit over claims the MMA legend sexually assaulted a woman in a bathroom at the Kaseya Center while security stood guard outside the stall.
Not only is he accused of sexually assaulting a woman at that game, but in a misguided on-court bit, McGregor struck the team mascot, Burnie, sending the costumed performer tumbling down to the hardwood earlier in the evening. A second punch sent the mascot kicking his feet and rolling in apparent agony.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra later confirmed that the person portraying the mascot was taken to the hospital, but assured reporters Burnie didn’t suffer any permanent injuries.
‘We won’t reveal who that is, but yeah, he can take a punch and get back up,’ Spoelstra said at the time. ‘He’s not going to miss any time.’
McGregor has since portrayed the incident as a ‘skit’ gone awry.
‘The mascot’s good, my man,’ he told Adam Glyn in June of 2023. ‘The Mascot is good. It was a skit, and it went the way it went, but all is well.
Despite suppor from America, McGregor’s Presidential chances are slim.
Candidates are nominated by receiving support of 20 members of the Oireachtas, representatives in Ireland’s lower and upper houses of parliament, or by four of Ireland’s 31 local authorities.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
