| schema:text
| - In late December 2024, a rumor was circulating online that Panama doubled fees for U.S. warships to transit the Panama Canal and started dedicating the additional funding toward women's reproductive health care.
The claim featured a quote allegedly attributed to Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, reading: "In our country, we have an 'a-hole tax' that kicks in automatically whenever anyone with orange skin threatens us. [...] When they sincerely apologize, the rate goes back to normal."
There was no evidence of the alleged price increase, Mulino saying or writing the in-question quote (neither in English or Spanish), nor any ship fees being used to fund women's reproductive health care. According to the Panama Canal Authority, the canal's governing body, tariffs have not changed since January 2024.
In reality, the claim — including the purported quote by Mulino — originated (archived) with a social media user on X and Instagram who describes their accounts as both "parody" and "half parody, half commentary, half theories." Therefore, this claim originated as satire.
BREAKING: Panama Doubles Fees For U.S. Warships Transiting Canal
"In our country, we have an 'a-hole tax' that kicks in automatically whenever anyone with orange skin threatens us," said President José Raúl Mulino Quintero. "When they sincerely apologize, the rate goes back to normal."
The funds from the extra fees are used to fund women's reproductive health care.
Additionally, an imagethat appeared alongside the posts was generatedusing artificial intelligence (AI) software, according to an AI engine that converts text to images, Stable Diffusion.
The satirical claim surfaced shortly after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump posted about America's "vested interest" in the Panama Canal on Truth Social on Dec. 21, 2024:
…. The United States has a vested interest in the secure, efficient, and reliable operation of the Panama Canal, and that was always understood. We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands! It was not given for the benefit of others, but merely as a token of cooperation with us and Panama. If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question. To the officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly!
Trump repeated the threat the following day, Dec. 22, at an event hosted by Turning Point, a conservative political advocacy group.
The satirical claim about alleged fee hikes on U.S. warships wasn't the only fictional rumor to surface in light of Trump's remarks. Snopes also addressed the fictional rumor that U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert said Egypt owns the Panama Canal.
Sources
Dixon (g_dixon), Gary. "Panama Canal Passage Price Hits $1m for Gas Carriers as Auction Transits Hit Year-High." TradeWinds | Latest Shipping and Maritime News, 5 June 2024, https://www.tradewindsnews.com/gas/panama-canal-passage-price-hits-1m-for-gas-carriers-as-auction-transits-hit-year-high/2-1-1656068.
"Donald J. Trump: "….The United States Has a Vested Interest in the Secure, Efficient, and Reli..." Trump's Truth, https://trumpstruth.org/statuses/28705. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
"En Nuestro País, Tenemos Un "impuesto al Imbécil" Que Se Activa Automáticamente Cada Vez Que Alguien Con Piel de Naranja Nos Amenaza". - Google Search. https://www.google.com/search?q=%C2%ABEn+nuestro+pa%C3%ADs%2C+tenemos+un+%27impuesto+al+imb%C3%A9cil%27+que+se+activa+autom%C3%A1ticamente+cada+vez+que+alguien+con+piel+de+naranja+nos+amenaza%C2%BB.&sca_esv=fff805f43cc79d79&rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB1138GB1138&ei=LIpyZ4DXO9yohbIPs57j4Qs&ved=0ahUKEwiAnZPnt8-KAxVcVEEAHTPPOLwQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=%C2%ABEn+nuestro+pa%C3%ADs%2C+tenemos+un+%27impuesto+al+imb%C3%A9cil%27+que+se+activa+autom%C3%A1ticamente+cada+vez+que+alguien+con+piel+de+naranja+nos+amenaza%C2%BB.&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAijAHCq0VuIG51ZXN0cm8gcGHDrXMsIHRlbmVtb3MgdW4gJ2ltcHVlc3RvIGFsIGltYsOpY2lsJyBxdWUgc2UgYWN0aXZhIGF1dG9tw6F0aWNhbWVudGUgY2FkYSB2ZXogcXVlIGFsZ3VpZW4gY29uIHBpZWwgZGUgbmFyYW5qYSBub3MgYW1lbmF6YcK7LkgAUABYAHAAeACQAQCYAQCgAQCqAQC4AQPIAQD4AQL4AQGYAgCgAgCYAwCSBwCgBwA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Gobierno Nacional. Gobierno Nacional, https://www.presidencia.gob.pa/busqueda?query=salud+reproductiva&Buscar=Buscar. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
"In Our Country, We Have an 'a-Hole Tax' That Kicks in Automatically Whenever Anyone with Orange Skin Threatens Us," - Google Search. https://www.google.com/search?q=%E2%80%9CIn+our+country%2C+we+have+an+%E2%80%98a-hole+tax%E2%80%99+that+kicks+in+automatically+whenever+anyone+with+orange+skin+threatens+us%2C%E2%80%9D&rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB1138GB1138&oq=%E2%80%9CIn+our+country%2C+we+have+an+%E2%80%98a-hole+tax%E2%80%99+that+kicks+in+automatically+whenever+anyone+with+orange+skin+threatens+us%2C%E2%80%9D&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBggAEEUYOzIGCAAQRRg7MgYIARBFGDzSAQY4NGowajeoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
@JP_Peacemaking. "Brilliant! Now That's Leadership!" X, 24 Dec. 2024, https://x.com/JP_Peacemaking/status/1871553616353579249.
@londonreed77. "BREAKING: Panama Doubles Fees For U.S. Warships Transiting Canal." Threads, 28 Dec. 2024, https://www.threads.net/@londonreed77/post/DEGgpb4O68Q.
"Maritime Tariff List." Autoridad Del Canal de Panamá, https://pancanal.com/en/maritime-services/maritime-tariff/. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations - Office of the Historian. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1977-1980/panama-canal. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Mulino, José Raúl. "Statement from President Jose Raul Mulino." X, 22 Dec. 2024, https://x.com/JoseRaulMulino/status/1870967597694632437/photo/2.
President-Elect Trump Speaks at Turning Point Action Conference in Arizona | Video | C-SPAN.Org. https://www.c-span.org/program/public-affairs-event/president-elect-trump-speaks-at-turning-point-action-conference-in-arizona/653788. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Serene Panamanian Landscape at Sunrise. https://stablediffusionweb.com/image/16816899-serene-panamanian-landscape-at-sunrise. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Tamim, Um. "BREAKING: Panama Doubles Fees For U.S. Warships Transiting Canal." Facebook, 28 Dec. 2024, https://www.facebook.com/groups/494700711635124/posts/1231554014616453/.
'Truth Social'. Truth Social, https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113693358988761213. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)