Call it election meddling or outside interference from a foreign power if you must, but the recently victorious Irish MMA fighter Conor McGregor declared his affection for US President Donald Trump on Twitter Monday, with a tweet that was soon heard — and reheard — around the world.
Phenomenal President. Quite possibly the USA ðŸ. Most certainly one of them anyway, as he sits atop the shoulders of many amazing giants that came before him. No easy feet.
Early stages of term also.
Incredible.
Congrats and Happy Martin Luther King Jr. day America 🇺🇸â¤ï¸ðŸ‡®ðŸ‡ª— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) January 21, 2020
McGregor tweeted in response to a tweet from @RealDonaldTrump about Monday’s MLK Day holiday. That tweet earned a retweet from Trump himself, and as of Tuesday afternoon, had received more than 100,000 likes and 22,000 RTs.
“Phenomenal President. Quite possibly the USA [GOAT],” McGregor wrote, punctuating the sentence with an emoji for greatest of all time. “Most certainly one of them anyway, as he sits atop the shoulders of many amazing giants that came before him. No easy feet [sic].”
More than 8,200 people responded to McGregor’s tweet, with comments, videos, and memes coming from what to some might seem like eight different sides of the political aisle.
If fairness the two of you do have a lot in common:-
1. both driven by greedy/money
2. Both drug addicts
3. Both racists
4. Both partial to a bit of rape
5. Both have dodgy hair— Colm Moloney (@Colm_Moloney) January 21, 2020
You’re not wrong! Trump’s killing it, and so are you!ðŸ‘ðŸ»
— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) January 21, 2020
McGregor joins a host of pugnacious celebrities who have proudly let their MAGA colors fly, including Kid Rock, Clint Eastwood, Dennis Rodman, Roseanne Barr, and Kanye West.
Allegations Hang Over McGregor
Like the president and many who surround him, McGregor has faced legal troubles, including two allegations of sexual assault in Ireland. McGregor and the UFC faced criticism after the fighter was asked a question about the allegations during a pre-fight press conference before UFC 246. The reporter who asked the question was drowned out by boos, and UFC president Dana White stepped in to step McGregor from responding.
McGregor fought Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the main event of UFC 246 on Saturday. The Irishman scored a TKO victory in just 40 seconds, setting up a potential rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov – or any number of other lucrative fights – for later this year. McGregor remains the biggest draw in the history of the UFC: Saturday’s Las Vegas card drew a gate of $11.1 million, the fourth-highest in company history.
McGregor’s tweet came on the first day of hearings in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump in the US Senate. Political betting market Predictit has Trump’s odds of being convicted at just 10 percent, with few expecting the Republican-led Senate to find the president guilty on any articles of impeachment.
