Trump says he excluded the UK from his European coronavirus travel ban because it's 'doing a good job' but the number of British cases just soared by 30%

Reuters

Donald Trump

• Donald Trump says he excluded the United Kingdom from his coronavirus travel ban because it is "doing a good job."
• But the number of coronavirus cases in the UK has just soared by 30%.
• Critics have pointed out that both countries excluded from the ban - Ireland and Britain - host golf clubs owned by Trump.
• Trump's decision to ban European countries from visiting the US was condemned by the EU on Thursday.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Donald Trump has defended excluding the United Kingdom from his European travel ban, saying it is "doing a good job" containing the coronavirus, despite the total number of cases in Britain soaring by almost 30% in just one day.

The UK on Thursday afternoon reported a total of 590 positive tests for the virus - a rise of 28% on the previous day.

Trump today defended his decision to exclude both Britain and Ireland from the ban after critics pointed out that both countries host golf courses owned by Trump.

The President discussed the ban as he hosted Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in the White House.

The comments came after he announced on Wednesday that he would ban travel to the US by foreign nationals from 26 European countries for 30 days starting Friday, with the exception of the UK, Ireland, and other countries not in the passport-free Schengen Area.

Trump's decision to "unilaterally" impose the ban was also condemned by the European Union on Thursday.

"The European Union disapproves of the fact that the US decision to improve a travel ban was taken unilaterally and without consultation," the European Commission's president, Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Council's president, Charles Michel said in a joint statement.

European countries were reportedly caught off guard by Trump's announcement Wednesday night in a nationally televised Oval Office address.

However, Trump told reporters on Thursday that he did not have time to consult European leaders in advance.

Trump's defence of the UK came as the country announced a series of measures to delay the spread of the virus.

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