No, Trump's remarks on Panama Canal did not lead to higher fees for US ships | Fact check

The claim: Panama doubled fees for US warships to cross canal

A Dec. 27, 2024, Threads post (direct link, archive link) shares news of a purported price hike for U.S. Navy vessels crossing the Panama Canal.

“BREAKING: Panama Doubles Fees For U.S. Warships Transiting Canal,” the post begins.

It goes on to quote Panama President José Raúl Mulino as saying, “In our country, we have an ‘a------ tax’ that kicks in automatically whenever anyone with orange skin threatens us. ... When they sincerely apologize, the rate goes back to normal.”

The post was shared more than 100 times in about two weeks.

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Our rating: False

This didn’t happen. The claim of a fee increase, as well as the purported quote from Panama’s president, originated as satire.

US-Panama tensions have not prompted change

Following his victory in the 2024 presidential election, President-elect Donald Trump has made several comments that could shake up U.S. international relations. Those remarks include his suggestion on Dec. 22 that the U.S. could take back control of the Panama Canal in response to what he considers the "exorbitant" rates Panama is charging the U.S. government, Navy and businesses to traverse the waterway.

But Panama has not announced new fees in response to Trump's comments. There are no credible reports of fees increasing for U.S. vessels alone, nor of a pledge to do so.

Mulino responded to Trump's statements in a statement he posted on X on Dec. 22, 2024, in English and Spanish. "Every square meter of the Panama Canal and the surrounding area belongs to Panama and will continue to,” reads the statement in part. But in neither the written statements nor a Spanish-language video posted the same day did Mulino say Panama would double fees on the U.S.

The fees and tariffs paid for ships crossing the canal can vary based on cargo and vessel type, according to a sheet posted by the Panama Canal Authority. Scheduled increases went into effect on Jan. 1, but they did not target the U.S., nor did they double rates, according to posted documents. The U.S. Navy did not immediately return a request for comment.

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The claim of higher fees and the purported quote appear to have first surfaced Dec. 22, 2024 ? the same day as Trump's comment on the canal ? on two related accounts on X and Instagram. On both platforms, the account descriptions indicate the content is “Half parody, half commentary, half theories.”

The social media posts are an example of what could be called "stolen satire," where posts created as satire and presented that way originally are reposted in a way that makes them appear to be legitimate news. As a result, readers of the second-generation post are misled, as was the case here.

USA TODAY has debunked an array of claims of purported changes in international relationships brought about by Trump’s remarks, including that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a three-year immigration freeze, that Mexico agreed to stop all migrant caravans and that the U.S.’s neighbors were ending formal relations with each other.

USA TODAY could not reach the Threads users who shared the claim for comment.

Snopes and AFP also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources

• Panama Canal Authority, accessed Jan. 6, Maritime Services Tariffs 1 January 2025

• Panama Canal Authority, accessed Jan. 6, Adjustment of Tolls

• Jose Raul Mulino, Dec. 22. 2024, Post on X

• Jose Raul Mulino, Dec. 22. 2024, Post on X

• GOP Jesus, Dec. 22, 2024, X post

• Gopjesususa, Dec. 22, 2024, Instagram post

• GOP Jesus, accessed Jan. 3, X bio

• Gopjesususa, accessed Jan. 3, Instagram bio

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Panama Canal fees did not change because of takeover talk | Fact check