Conor McGregor’s visit to the White House has exposed Micheál Martin’s “cowardly” approach to US president Donald Trump, an opposition TD has said.
Mr Martin met Mr Trump at the White House on Wednesday, where the two leaders engaged with members of the press for roughly 50 minutes.
During the exchanges, the US president praised McGregor when asked who he would regard as his favourite Irish person.
Days later, the mixed martial arts fighter also met Mr Trump in the Oval Office.
McGregor, who has set an ambition to become president of Ireland, criticised the Government on a range of issues, including immigration.
He claimed the Government was one of “zero action with zero accountability”.
His visit to the White House came 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.
A judge at the High Court in Dublin later said the jury had “conclusively determined” that McGregor had raped Ms Hand. McGregor is appealing against the outcome of the civil case.
On Tuesday, People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Paul Murphy said McGregor’s attendance at the White House on St Patrick’s Day was “scandalous” given his “abhorrent views on a whole range of issues” and the verdict of the jury in the civil trial.
He said: “I think it’s abhorrent by the Trump administration to have promoted Conor McGregor in this way.”
Mr Murphy criticised Mr Martin for taking a “quiet” approach to Mr Trump during his engagement.
The Taoiseach had characterised his own meeting with Mr Trump as “very positive”, and later said that McGregor does not reflect the views of Irish people.
Mr Murphy said: “I do think that the so-called quiet diplomacy of Micheál Martin […] which was lauded by many commentators as being very smart, no longer looks very smart.
“Because the truth is that while Trump was praising Conor McGregor, Micheál Martin – while sitting in a room with him – did not say a single word to contradict him.
“Micheál Martin praised Trump’s unrelenting focus on peace. We know that overnight, about 350 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in assaults, a new wave of air attacks that have been authorised and agreed by the administration.
“So I think you know the very cowardly, bootlicking approach of Martin now is exposed for just that.”
Asked about McGregor’s presidential ambitions, Mr Murphy predicted that the fighter’s campaign would receive support on X, the social media site operated by Elon Musk – a key ally of the Trump administration.
However, he said he did not think he would “go very far” in winning actual public support.
He added: “Conor McGregor is not a beloved figure in Ireland, for all the reasons that people know.
“So I don’t think that’ll get off the ground in reality.
“It might exist in Donald Trump’s head and Elon Musk’s head and their various promoters over here. But I don’t think it will fly.”
