Irish mixed martial arts competitor Conor McGregor met with Donald Trump during his St. Patrick's Day visit, where he lashed out at illegal immigration in Ireland, AFP reports.

"Ireland is on the verge of potentially losing its Irishness," McGregor said during an appearance in the White House briefing room alongside the president's press secretary, Caroline Leavitt.

"The illegal immigration racket is devastating the country," added the fighter, dressed in a green business suit to mark St Patrick's Day, the centenary holiday of his homeland.

Later, Trump received the 36-year-old former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star - whom he said last week was his favourite Irishman - in the Oval Office.

McGregor posed for a photo with his hand on Trump's shoulder as the president sat at his desk, and for another with tech mogul and influential Trump adviser Elon Musk.

Billionaire Tesla owner Musk previously endorsed McGregor when he spoke in the past about a possible run for president of Ireland. More recently, Musk has spoken out in support of a number of anti-immigration parties in Europe.

"Your work ethic is inspiring", McGregor told Trump, according to footage released by an aide to the US president.

"Yours is too, you're fantastic," Trump replied.

McGregor had earlier said he would "listen" to Trump on immigration, one of the US president's main areas of focus as he seeks to increase deportations of undocumented people.

"We couldn't imagine a better guest to be with us on St. Patrick's Day," Leavitt said.

McGregor's comments received a swift rebuff from Irish Prime Minister Michelle Martin, who met with Trump last week at the White House and received pushback on the trade.

"Conor McGregor's remarks are wrong and do not reflect the spirit of St Patrick's Day nor the views of the people of Ireland," the prime minister wrote in X.

In November 2024, an Irish court ordered the fighter to pay compensation to a woman who claimed McGregor "brutally raped and beat" her in a Dublin hotel in 2018. McGregor claimed the two had consensual sex.

As recently as January, the Irishman was tried in a US court, accused of sexual assault during an NBA game in Miami in 2023. | BGNES