Conor McGregor, the former UFC champion, has announced his intention to run for the presidency of Ireland in the upcoming elections. If he were to win, he said he would take a stand against the EU’s migration pact, which was adopted by the European Parliament last year. In a post on X, McGregor stated that the next presidential election must take place by November 11, 2025 and that he would be the one to challenge the government on this issue.
McGregor promised to put the migration pact to a popular vote as president, stating that it should not be his decision or the government’s, but rather the decision of the Irish people. This comes after a recent meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, where McGregor criticized the Irish government for allegedly disadvantaging the Irish people.
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin later criticized McGregor on X, saying the boxer was opposing the views of the Irish people. McGregor first expressed his desire to run for president in September 2024.
In 2023, McGregor became a prominent figure in Irish right-wing politics after publicly criticizing the country’s immigration system following a knife attack on a school in Dublin. The Irish government later accused McGregor of inciting the riots that broke out after the attack.
Despite his popularity, McGregor remains a controversial figure. Last year, he was found guilty by an Irish court of sexually assaulting a woman in 2018. McGregor has appealed the verdict, requesting the submission of evidence and arguing that the sex was consensual.