Controversial Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor has been welcomed at the White House for a St Patrick’s Day meeting with President Donald Trump.
McGregor answered questions from reporters as he joined press secretary Karoline Leavitt in the West Wing briefing room on Monday ahead of the expected meeting with the president.
The fighter told the media he was going to voice concerns about immigration issues in Ireland when he spoke to Mr Trump.
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Ms Leavitt confirmed a meeting was scheduled.
“Conor is here to meet with the president,” she said.
“He’ll be meeting with him later this afternoon. We couldn’t think of a better guest to have with us on St Patrick’s Day.”
McGregor’s visit to the White House comes months after he was found civilly liable in a High Court damages case in Dublin taken by a woman who accused him of rape.
Nikita Hand, also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin, won her claim against McGregor after accusing the professional fighter of raping her in a Dublin hotel in December 2018.
Ms Hand, 35, was awarded damages and costs after a three-week trial last year in which the jury found him civilly liable for assault.
Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor will meet the president at the White House (Brian Lawless/PA)
A judge at the High Court in Dublin later said the jury had “conclusively determined” that Mr McGregor had raped Ms Hand.
Last week, President Trump described McGregor as “great” when asked who his favourite Irish person was.
Mr Trump said the MMA fighter had the “best tattoos I’ve ever seen”.
“Conor’s great, right. But you have a lot of great Irish fighters actually, great fighters,” he said.
“Ireland’s always had a lot of good fighters. You know why, because they’re tough people, they’re smart people and they’re passionate people.”
During his exchange with reporters in the briefing room on Monday, McGregor criticised the Irish government on immigration issues.
“I’m here to raise the issues the people of Ireland face. It will be music to the people of Ireland’s ears,” he said.
“Never on the main stage has the issues the people of Ireland faced been spoke.
“Our government has long since abandoned the voices of the people of Ireland and it’s high time that America is made aware of what is going on in Ireland. What is going on in Ireland is a travesty.
“Our government is the government of zero action with zero accountability.
“Our money is being spent on overseas issues that is nothing to do with the Irish people.
“The illegal immigration racket is running ravage on the country. There are rural towns in Ireland that have been overrun in one swoop, that have become a minority in one swoop, so issues need to be addressed and the 40 million Irish Americans, as I said, need to hear this because if not there will be no place to come home and visit.”
He earlier described the US as Ireland’s “big bro”.
“Ireland and America, we are siblings. We consider America our big sibling,” he said.
“So it’s important for Ireland to be a peaceful, happy, prosperous country for the 40 million Irish Americans to have a place to visit, to come back to their home so we wish for our relationship with the United States to continue and we wish to be taken care of by the big bro.
“The United States should look after its little bro. And that’s how we feel about Ireland and America.”