He’s the "Notorious" for a reason. Conor McGregor knows how to grab a headline better than almost anyone on the planet. Whether he’s throwing dollies at buses or winning UFC belts, the man is a magnet for chaos and attention. Lately, though, the chatter hasn't been about his left hook or his next fight in the Octagon. It’s been about Aras an Uachtaráin—the Irish version of the White House.
People keep asking: is mcgregor running for president?
🔗 Read more: How Much Is Bill Murray Worth? The Truth Behind His $180 Million Fortune
If you’ve been scrolling through X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram over the last year, you’ve probably seen the posts. Photos of McGregor in a suit, looking stern, talking about "taking back Ireland." It looks official. It sounds intense. But in politics, as in the fight game, there is a massive difference between a weigh-in stare-down and the actual fight.
Honestly, the situation is a bit of a rollercoaster.
The 2025 Campaign That Never Quite Was
To understand if he's running now, you have to look at what happened just a few months ago. In early 2025, McGregor wasn't just hinting at a run; he was shouting it from the rooftops. He even visited the White House in March 2025, standing near the press podium and talking about how the Irish government had "abandoned" its people. He was leaning hard into a "Make Ireland Great Again" style platform, focusing almost entirely on anti-immigration rhetoric and "Irish culture."
He called himself the "only logical choice."
By late summer 2025, he was claiming on social media that he had the "councils on board" and the "Senators" needed to get his name on the ballot. In Ireland, you can't just decide to be President because you're famous. You need a formal nomination. Specifically, you need the backing of 20 members of the Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament) or four local county councils.
But when the deadline of September 24, 2025, rolled around, the "Notorious" one was nowhere to be found on the list of official candidates.
He didn't get the numbers. Not even close.
On September 15, 2025, McGregor officially withdrew his "candidacy." He posted a long message on X, basically saying the system was a "straitjacket" and "fixed" to keep people like him out. He complained that the nomination process was a "democratic deficit."
Why He Couldn't Get on the Ballot
It turns out that being a global superstar doesn't translate easily into the dry, procedural world of Irish local government. While McGregor has millions of followers online, he had almost zero support among the people who actually hold the keys to the ballot box.
A survey by Sky News earlier in 2025 asked 134 Irish lawmakers if they would support him. The result? A big fat zero. Not a single member of parliament said they would back his nomination. Some of them were pretty blunt about it, too, calling him everything from a "populist buffoon" to a "thug."
Local councils weren't any friendlier.
There was also the heavy baggage of his personal life. In July 2025, he lost an appeal over a civil court ruling that found him liable for the sexual assault of a woman in 2018. In the eyes of the Irish political establishment—and a large chunk of the voting public—that was a non-starter. A poll by the Irish Independent around that time showed he had only about 7% support among voters.
Compare that to Catherine Connolly, the left-wing independent who eventually won the election in a landslide on October 24, 2025. She got over 63% of the vote.
McGregor was playing a different game entirely.
✨ Don't miss: Bailee Ann Teeth Before and After: What Really Happened With Her Smile
Is McGregor Running For President in 2026?
So, where does that leave us today, in early 2026?
Technically, the "race" is over. Ireland just inaugurated its new president, Catherine Connolly, on November 11, 2025. The Irish presidency is a seven-year term. This means the next scheduled election won't happen until 2032.
Unless something catastrophic happens that results in the office becoming vacant early, there is no presidential election for McGregor to run in right now.
However, Conor being Conor, he hasn't exactly gone quiet. When he withdrew in September, he explicitly told his followers, "this will not be my last election." He’s been teasing a future in the Dáil (the lower house of parliament) instead.
There’s a big difference between the Presidency and being a TD (Member of Parliament).
- The President is a ceremonial head of state with very limited powers.
- A TD is a legislator who actually makes laws and debates policy.
- The President can't even leave the country without the government’s permission.
McGregor’s rhetoric—talking about mass deportations and "dissolving the Dáil"—actually suggested he didn't really understand what the President is allowed to do. He wanted to be a leader with teeth, but the Irish Constitution doesn't give the President any.
What Most People Get Wrong About McGregor’s Politics
There's a common misconception that McGregor is just "joking" or looking for clout. While clout is definitely part of his DNA, his shift toward right-wing nationalism seems to be a genuine pivot in his public persona. He’s allied himself with figures like Elon Musk and has received public nods from Donald Trump.
He isn't just a fighter anymore; he's trying to be a brand of "Irish Patriotism."
But Ireland's political landscape is notoriously difficult for "celebrity" outsiders. Unlike the U.S., where a billionaire or a TV star can capture a major party, Ireland’s system is built on local, "boots-on-the-ground" campaigning. You have to win over town councils and rural voters who care more about hospital waiting lists and housing than they do about Twitter beefs.
McGregor tried to bypass the "boring" parts of politics and went straight for the top. It didn't work.
The Actionable Reality
If you’re a fan—or a critic—watching for his next move, here is what you need to know about the current status of is mcgregor running for president:
- The 2025 Window is Closed: The election happened in October 2025. Catherine Connolly is the President.
- No Election in 2026: There are no presidential elections scheduled for this year or anytime soon.
- Watch the General Elections: If McGregor is serious about politics, his next "in" would be running for a seat in the Dáil during the next General Election. This is where he could actually try to influence law.
- The Constitutional Hurdle: For any future run, he still needs to solve the "nomination" problem. Unless he starts his own political party or builds a coalition of 20 lawmakers, he will be blocked by the same "straitjacket" he complained about in 2025.
Basically, McGregor is currently a politician without a ballot. He has the microphone, but he doesn't have the paperwork. For now, his "presidency" exists only in the world of social media.
If you want to stay informed on his actual legal or political standing, stop looking at his highlight reels and start looking at the official notices from the Irish Electoral Commission. That’s the only place where his name will ever truly matter in a political sense.
Keep an eye on his "Make Ireland Great Again" social media activity. It usually spikes when there is a major news story about immigration in Dublin, but until he registers a formal party or wins over a local council, it's all just noise.