President Donald Trump has accused ex-FBI Director James Comey of encouraging violence against him through a cryptic social media post that Trump and his allies interpret as a thinly veiled threat.
Comey posted a photo on Instagram showing seashells arranged to read “86 47” — a sequence critics say is loaded with meaning. “86” is sometimes recognized as slang for elimination or killing, while “47” refers to Trump’s status as the 47th president of the United States, following his reelection in 2024. The implication was not lost on Trump or his inner circle, who view the post as a coded incitement to assassination.
The backlash was immediate. The Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security launched a joint investigation into the message. Speaking with Fox News’ Bret Baier, Trump called the post “terrible.” When asked what he wanted to see happen, Trump demurred: “I don’t want to take a position on it — it will be up to Pam and all the great people,” he said, emphasizing that Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Justice Department would handle the investigation and any potential legal consequences.
“He knew what that meant. A child knows what that meant,” Trump said. “If you’re FBI director and don’t know what that meant, that meant assassination and it says it cloud and clear. He wasn’t very competent but competent enough to know what that meant. He did it for a reason and he was hit so hard because people like me and like what was happening with our country. All this, he is calling for assassination of the president.”
Merriam Webster defines “86” as slang, meaning ‘to throw out,’ ‘to get rid of,’ or ‘to refuse service to.’ It comes from 1930s soda-counter slang, meaning that an item was sold out. There is varying anecdotal evidence about why the term eighty-six was used, but the most common theory is that it is rhyming slang for nix.”
Comey denied that his post was meant as a threat, saying in a statement that he was unaware people linked the specific numeric arrangement with violence. “I didn’t realize some folks associate it with violence. That didn’t occur to me when I saw it, but I am opposed to violence in all circumstances, so I took it down,” he said. Comey later said in a post on Instagram that he assumed the numbers “were a political message.”
During an interview with Fox News host Jesse Watters, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said that she would like to see Comey “behind bars.” However, some legal analysts believe his posting did not rise to criminal behavior.
Donald Trump Jr. also responded, interpreting the post as a direct call to murder his father. He pointed to references in Cassell’s Dictionary of Slang that associate “86” with death or disposal, partly rooted in the standard grave dimensions of 8 feet long and 6 feet deep.
This controversy unfolds in an already tense political climate. Trump survived two assassination attempts in 2024 — one at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, the other during a round of golf in Palm Beach. Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich condemned the post, underscoring the seriousness with which the Trump team views the threat.
Comey’s post adds another chapter to his long-running feud with Trump, dating back to the 2017 fallout over the Mueller investigation. His congressional testimony then sparked obstruction of justice claims after alleging Trump tried to influence the FBI’s handling of Michael Flynn.
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COMEY IS GARBAGE………..ALWAYS HAS BEEN
Everybody knows what the message is. “Asssisanate TRUMP”. I find it hard that a person so stupid as this was able to secure such a commanding position.
It woould appear we need official intelligence testing of those in charge.
Charge, yes this idiot has to be charged with solicitation of murder.
This is the Evil that Americans had to deal with and support with taxpayer money.I would return the gesture as received and will remember
Comey should be prosecuted as accessory to any future attempts on Trump’s life. I think that he needs to have his face reconfigured to wipe that smirk off of it.
Comey is 100% scum and a disgrace to the Marine Corp.