Elon Musk offered Conor McGregor financial backing for presidential bid
Social media boss Elon Musk has confirmed that he offered former MMA fighter Conor McGregor financial backing as part of his presidential election bid.Rules from the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) state that donations from people or organisations outside of Ireland are not allowed in most circumstances.Mr McGregor has been suggesting for several months that he wants to contest the election, which will be held on Friday, October 24.All eyes will be on Dublin City Council on Monday evening as he addresses councillors in a bid to rally support. Hopeful candidates need the backing of four local authorities or 20 Oireachtas members to get on the ballot paper.In an interview with podcaster Adam Glynn, Mr McGregor said Mr Musk, who has publicly endorsed the former fighter’s presidential bid, offered him financial support.“Elon is an actual superhero,” Mr McGregor said.“For real, Elon is a superhero. A great man, gave me a lot of his time.“Pledged his support, even offered financial help. I said, 'I’m not here… I’m not after that'. He is a credit to humanity, and I appreciate it greatly.” 😳💰Conor Mcgregor says Elon Musk offered him financial support in his pursuit for Ireland politics:"Elon is an actual superhero. Gave me a lot of his time. Pledged his support. You know, he even offered financial help, but I say, I'm not here. I'm not after that. He is a… pic.twitter.com/0ZfQGvtIIU— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) September 13, 2025
In a post on his social media platform X, Mr Musk backed up Mr McGregor’s comments.“It’s true. I offered financial support to get his message out, if needed, but he respectfully declined,” he said.Rules around political donations for all elections are set out under the Electoral Act 1997 and overseen by Sipo. Candidates in Dáil, Seanad, European elections and presidential elections must disclose donations and election expenses. There are limits on the value of donations to “political parties, third parties, candidates and elected representatives”.“Donations from people or organisations outside Ireland, other than citizens or organisations that keep an office on the island of Ireland, are not allowed under the Act,” the rules dictate.Mr Musk previously stated that Mr McGregor could be a “president to save Ireland” as he took aim at Tánaiste Simon Harris for instructing Fine Gael councillors not to vote or facilitate candidates getting on the ballot paper.He accused Mr Harris of “tyrannically blocking the will of the people of Ireland”.Mr McGregor is due to present to councillors at a meeting of Dublin City Council shortly before 9pm on Monday.In his pitch to councillors earlier this week, seen by the Irish Examiner, Mr McGregor stated that he believes “now is the time for a truly independent, people-first voice to enter Áras an Uachtaráin,” adding that the person should “reflect the values, struggles, and aspirations of ordinary Irish citizens”. He asked councillors for “support in helping secure my nomination so that the Irish people may be given a real choice — one that is not confined to candidates from the traditional political establishment”.He added that a nomination is “not an endorsement of my campaign, but a stand for democracy, fairness, and representation”. Mr McGregor will be among 14 candidates who have confirmed their eligibility and will attend the meeting alongside Maria Steen, Gareth Sheridan and Dolores Cahill.Earlier this year, Mr McGregor lost his appeal against a civil jury’s finding in favour of Dublin woman Nikita Hand, who accused him of rape.Ms Hand, 35, successfully sued him in a civil court over an incident in which he was alleged to have “brutally raped and battered” her in a penthouse at a south Dublin hotel in December 2018.She was awarded almost €250,000 in damages and Mr McGregor was also ordered to pay about €1.3m in legal costs after the November trial.
