On 15 September, EDMO Ireland published a new report, Elon Musk’s X as a Threat to Electoral Integrity: How Conor McGregor’s Irish Presidential Ambitions Unfolded on X. The report examined 127 posts from Conor McGregor’s X account between January and September 2025 relating to his presidential campaign.
The findings show that McGregor’s campaign was characterised by high levels of misinformation, with 74 posts (58%) containing false claims. His output also relied heavily on personal attacks and extremist rhetoric. At least six posts (5%) threatened or implied political violence, including unconstitutional use of state forces and violent threats against public officials. The report further documents how Elon Musk publicly endorsed McGregor’s candidacy, engaged with his campaign online, stated that he offered financial support, and amplified misinformation about the Irish election.
The report attracted national media attention in Ireland. TheJournal.ie reported on the findings in Over half of McGregor’s presidential campaign posts on X filled with false claims and threats. District Magazine covered the analysis in 58% of McGregor’s Presidential Campaign Posts on X Were Misinformation or Threats.
In an Irish Examiner opinion column, Mick Clifford wrote on how the global far-right uses Ireland to spread anti-immigrant narratives online, citing EDMO Ireland’s findings:
“A report published recently by the European Digital Media Observatory Ireland in Dublin City University found that 58% of McGregor posts in his so-called campaign misrepresented this country, its Constitution, or its history. His content was viewed more than 100m times worldwide. The report stated that his claims have normalised ‘fact free and extremist ideas’ and that he was pushing ‘narratives seeded by fringe media, amplified by celebrities with little political understanding and broadcast at scale through the platform of the world’s richest man’.”
In an Irish Times op-ed, Ciarán O’Connor discussed smear campaigns and misinformation, noting:
“A recent report from the European Digital Media Observatory Ireland in Dublin City University found that 58 per cent of McGregor’s posts during his campaign – shared with his 10 million followers – featured false claims about the presidency, the Constitution or Irish history.”
The report highlights how X, under Elon Musk’s ownership, has become a platform that amplifies misinformation and extremist narratives at scale, posing serious risks to electoral integrity in Ireland and beyond. It is part of EDMO Ireland’s ongoing work on elections and platforms.
