UFC star Conor McGregor used a White House visit with United States President Donald Trump on St. Patrick's Day to help launch his campaign to be the president of Ireland, and he is now turning to the same billionaire who helped Trump win in 2024 with his candidacy hanging in the balance.

Tesla founder Elon Musk officially got back into the political ring early Monday morning by formally endorsing McGregor, the controversial mixed martial arts champion. Musk also denounced Ireland deputy prime minister Simon Harris in the wake of reports he was urging local officials to vote along party lines and keep independent candidates such as McGregor out of the election.

McGregor, 37, isn't yet eligible to be on the ballot and a Sept. 24 deadline to meet the ballot requirements is approaching. A presidential candidate in Ireland can only be nominated by at least 20 members of the Oireachtas (Ireland's version of parliament) or at least four local authorities to be included on the presidential ballot, according to the country's election laws.

"Shame on Simon Harris for tyrannically blocking the will of the people of Ireland!" Musk wrote on X. "Conor McGregor for President to save Ireland."

Musk's support of McGregor's political ambitions in Ireland began months ago on social media. Last week, after McGregor posted a campaign video filmed in front of Dublin government buildings seeking ballot help, Musk replied on X: "No one will fight harder for the people of Ireland than Conor McGregor!"

McGregor, who is running on an anti-immigration platform, also released a photo this week from a FaceTime he recently conducted with Musk. "This is Superman level, folks," the caption read.

McGregor is seen as a longshot in the Oct. 24 presidential election due to a lack of party affiliation and a checkered past related to sexual assault allegations and violent behavior outside of UFC's octagon, where he became one of the company's most decorated, popular and polarizing fighters.

Musk's most recent endorsement of McGregor drew a quick rebuke from Harris on Monday, according to The Journal in Dublin.

"I see Elon Musk joined in today – and sure, why not?" Harris said, while noting Musk is "backing a man who has been found civilly liable for rape in our courts. That’s the sort of man he believes should be president of Ireland. But thank God – he might have a say as to who is president of the United States of America, but he’s no say in terms of who the president of Ireland is."

McGregor was found liable by a jury in Dublin and ordered to pay nearly 250,000 Euros in December 2024 after Nikita Hand filed a lawsuit alleging McGregor and another man, James Lawrence, had sex with her without her consent in 2018. McGregor was also sued last January by a woman who alleged McGregor sexually assaulted her after Game 4 of the 2023 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets at the Kaseya Center in Miami.

Previously, he pleaded guilty to assault over a 2019 incident in which he punched an elderly man during an argument inside a Dublin bar.

McGregor became one of the UFC's biggest attractions beginning in 2008, and the first fighter to hold UFC championships in multiple divisions simultaneously. He owns a 22-6 career record. His last professional match occurred in 2021.

Musk's involvement is part of McGregor's recent push to get on the ballot and comes on the heels of social media posts last week filmed in an attempt to sway local councillors to consider him as an independent candidate. It represented a change in tone from an Aug. 27 social media post in which McGregor wrote, "I have it secured," in reference to what's needed to be on the ballot.

"Our councillors are the backbone of our communities. They work harder and deliver more for the people than those in the Oireachtas, who continue to fail this country time and again," McGregor wrote last week. "If you are a councillor who feels your voice is ignored, your hands tied, and your community overlooked, then I ask you to stand with me. Nominate me, and I will give you the platform and power to be truly heard."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Elon Musk endorses Conor McGregor for Ireland president: Here's how it happened

Reporting by Mark Giannotto, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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