Conor McGregor Announces Interest in Irish Presidency, Opposes EU Migration Pact
Former mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor has expressed his interest in running for the presidency of Ireland, stating that he would put the EU Migration Pact to a public referendum if elected.
McGregor, who recently met with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on St. Patrick's Day, voiced his opposition to the pact on social media. He stated that while he is "greatly" against the measure, the decision should ultimately be made by the Irish people, not the government. He questioned why the Irish government had supported the agreement so strongly and called for national discourse, urging citizens to vote for him to have their voices heard.
Accompanying his statement was an image of McGregor holding a young child in front of an aircraft while wearing a green baseball cap with the slogan "Make Ireland Great Again."
During his White House visit, McGregor criticized immigration policies, warning that Ireland was "at the cusp of potentially losing its Irishness" due to what he called the "illegal immigration racket." His remarks were met with strong criticism from Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, who described them as "wrong" and not reflective of Ireland’s values. Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris also dismissed McGregor’s statements, stating that he has "no mandate to speak for the people of Ireland."
The EU Migration and Asylum Pact, as outlined by the European Commission, aims to manage migration more effectively and establish a standardized asylum system across member states.
McGregor’s potential political ambitions come amid legal controversies. Last year, he was found liable in a civil case where Nikita Hand accused him of sexual assault in a Dublin hotel in 2018. A jury awarded her over £200,000 in damages, though McGregor is appealing the decision. He also previously pleaded guilty to assaulting a man in a Dublin pub in 2019.
McGregor, widely known as "The Notorious," gained international fame for his success in the UFC, where he won multiple championships.
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