From Politico:
The U.S. government proclamation initiating the ban targets 26 European countries that comprise a visa-free travel zone known as the Schengen Area.
The United Kingdom, which is home to Trump Turnberry and Trump International Golf Links, and Ireland, which is home to another Trump-branded hotel and golf course at Doonbeg, do not participate in the Schengen Area. Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania are also not part of the Schengen Area. All three of the resorts are struggling financially.
To be fair, this is probably not a deliberate gerrymandering scheme; the Trump Organization simply doesn’t have any property in the designated area. Presumably, the argument in favor of blocking travel to that part of Europe has to do more with open borders; while Ireland might still be part of the EU, at least the water keeps things separate.
Trump’s travel ban sidesteps his own European resorts [Ryan Heath / Politico]
Image: Whoisjohngalt/Wikimedia Commons (CC 4.0)
