An Irish rape crisis charity has strongly criticised Conor McGregor’s recent meeting with former US President Donald Trump at the White House, calling it a “sinister” attempt to rehabilitate the controversial fighter’s public image.
Rachel Morrogh, chief executive of the Dublin rape crisis centre, has formally raised concerns with the US embassy in Dublin over the meeting, which took place on St Patrick’s Day. The gathering, she argued, sends a troubling message just months after McGregor was found liable for rape in an Irish civil case.
“We do believe that the meeting between Trump and Conor McGregor was very sinister, and we have called it out for what it is—an attempt to rebuild the very damaged reputation of Conor McGregor,” Morrogh told The Guardian. “What has really shocked us is that the office of the president of the United States, which is so respected and revered, is being used to launder Conor McGregor’s reputation.”
McGregor, 36, was ordered by a civil court in November to pay nearly €250,000 (£210,000) in damages to a woman who accused him of raping and assaulting her in a Dublin hotel in 2018. He has denied the allegations, claiming their encounter was consensual, and is currently appealing the verdict in the Irish High Court, with a hearing set for Friday.
Political overtones and controversy
During his White House visit, McGregor did not shy away from controversial remarks, using the platform to criticise the Irish government‘s immigration policies. He warned that Ireland was “potentially losing its Irishness” and claimed that some rural towns had been “overrun in one swoop”—statements that have been widely disputed by officials.
Dressed in a green suit in honour of Ireland’s national day, McGregor addressed the press in the official White House briefing room before meeting with Trump and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk in the Oval Office. He was joined by his partner and children during the visit.
McGregor has garnered support from figures such as self-proclaimed misogynist influencer Andrew Tate and Irish anti-immigration campaigners, who have benefited from Musk’s amplification of their messages on social media. However, his claim to speak for the Irish people on immigration has been met with widespread criticism. Taoiseach Micheál Martin dismissed McGregor’s remarks as “wrong,” while finance minister Paschal Donohoe admitted his “heart fell” upon learning about the meeting.
Following the backlash, McGregor hit back at the Irish government, saying that officials had taken “zero action with zero accountability” on the immigration issue.
