{"id":857,"date":"2025-03-18T06:04:18","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T06:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/2025\/03\/18\/conor-mcgregors-white-house-immigration-rant-sparks-irish-pms-rebuke\/"},"modified":"2025-03-18T06:04:18","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T06:04:18","slug":"conor-mcgregors-white-house-immigration-rant-sparks-irish-pms-rebuke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=857","title":{"rendered":"Conor McGregor\u2019s White House immigration rant sparks Irish PM\u2019s rebuke"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor has drawn sharp criticism from Irish Prime Minister Miche\u00e1l Martin after making anti-immigration remarks during a visit to the White House.<\/p>\n<p>McGregor, 36, attended a St. Patrick\u2019s Day event hosted by US President Donald Trump, where he claimed that Ireland was \u201con the cusp of losing its Irishness\u201d due to what he called an \u201cillegal immigration racket.\u201d Speaking from the White House briefing room, McGregor asserted that rural towns in Ireland were being \u201coverrun in one swoop.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>View this post on Instagram<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A post shared by The White House (@whitehouse)<\/p>\n<p>His comments were swiftly condemned by Martin, who stated they did not reflect the values of Ireland or the spirit of St. Patrick\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConor McGregor\u2019s remarks are wrong and do not reflect the views of the people of Ireland,\u201d Martin said in a statement on social media. \u201cSt. Patrick\u2019s Day is a day of community, humanity, friendship, and fellowship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris also distanced the government from McGregor\u2019s stance, emphasising that the fighter was not representing Ireland at the White House.<\/p>\n<p>Ireland has seen a record influx of asylum seekers in recent years, making immigration a divisive issue. While the country has traditionally been known for its welcoming policies, protests against refugee accommodations have emerged in various regions.<\/p>\n<p>The government has pledged to tighten immigration controls, but few elected officials share McGregor\u2019s strong anti-immigration views.<\/p>\n<p>McGregor\u2019s remarks align with Trump\u2019s hardline approach to immigration. The US president has prioritised deportations and border control since beginning his second term in January, declaring illegal immigration a national emergency.<\/p>\n<p>McGregor, a former UFC champion, has long been a polarising figure in both sports and public discourse. Last year, an Irish court found him civilly liable for assaulting a woman at a Dublin party in 2018 and ordered him to pay nearly \u20ac250,000 ($273,000) in damages. He is currently appealing the verdict.<\/p>\n<p>Despite his legal troubles, McGregor has expressed interest in running for the largely ceremonial role of Irish president in October\u2019s election. However, securing a nomination would be challenging, as candidates require backing from 20 lawmakers or four of Ireland\u2019s 31 local councils.<\/p>\n<p>McGregor\u2019s comments at the White House have further fuelled debate over his potential political ambitions. While he remains a prominent figure in Ireland, his anti-immigration rhetoric has drawn widespread criticism from political leaders and the public.<\/p>\n<p>The White House has not commented on whether it endorses McGregor\u2019s remarks. However, Trump\u2019s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, praised his visit, stating, \u201cWe couldn\u2019t think of a better guest to have with us on St. Patrick\u2019s Day.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor has drawn sharp criticism from Irish Prime Minister Miche\u00e1l Martin after making anti-immigration remarks during a visit to the White House. McGregor, 36, attended a St. Patrick\u2019s Day event hosted by US President Donald Trump, where he claimed that Ireland was \u201con the cusp of losing its Irishness\u201d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=857"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}