Panama banned the Trump family from entering the country for 100 years.
On Jan. 2, 2024, a viral post from X account The Halfway Post claimed the country of Panama was banning the entire Trump family from entering its borders for 100 years.
The post in question was reshared thousands of times.
(X user @HalfwayPost)
Some X users seemed to interpret the rumor as a factual recounting of real-life events, but it was not. It originated with an account that publishes satirical content.
A number of users praised the decision, writing how they “loved” Panama, while others laughed at the joke.
The Halfway Post’s X account describes its own content as satire. Its bio states: Halfway true comedy and satire by @DashMacIntyre. I don’t report the facts, I improve them.” Dash MacIntyre is a comedian who has frequently written satirical pieces.
A Google search for news about U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and his relations with Panama also produced no results indicating that the country was planning to ban the Trump family, though at the time there was a lot of recent tension between Panama and the newly elected Trump.
Trump had recently homed in on the Panama Canal as a major issue of contention, even threatening to try to take it back, resulting in pushback from within Panama. The famous canal was built as a crucial shipping route in the early 20th century and controlled by the U.S. until 1977, when a series of treaties gave gradual control back to Panama. In 1999 Panama gained sole control of the canal in a treaty negotiated by former President Jimmy Carter, who died in late 2024.
In December 2024, before Panama celebrated the 25th anniversary of the final handover, Trump criticized the country for charging shippers “ridiculous” fees to pass through the waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He then suggested that the U.S. could try to regain control of the canal that it “foolishly” ceded to Panama.
In a video response, Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino rejected Trump’s notion without naming him, saying “every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to belong [to Panama].”
The canal’s operations were affected by the 2023 droughts in Central America, which reduced water in the reservoirs. Since the canal relied on those reservoirs to operate its locks, fewer ships were allowed to transit through the canal and fees increased for shippers trying to reserve a slot to use the canal.
On Christmas Day, Trump wrote on his social media platform, TruthSocial, “Merry Christmas to all, including to the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal.” While the claim was false and the canal is being operated by the Panamanian government, Trump highlighted something that has concerned many U.S. officials: the increasing influence of Chinese companies and the government on shipping ports including the Panama Canal. Mulino disputed Trump’s claims.
Moreover, on Dec. 31, 2024, the anniversary of the canal’s handover, photographs showed people in Panama protesting against Trump and his statements. Many chanted “Trump, animal, leave the canal alone” and “Get out invading gringo,” and held signs stating “Donald Trump, public enemy of Panama.”
This is not the only false satirical claim made by The Halfway Post about Trump and the country of Panama. On Jan. 1, 2024, the X account stated, “BREAKING: Donald Trump is releasing new NFTs tomorrow that feature him conquering Canada, Greenland, Panama, and obesity.”
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.