James Comey, who led the FBI from 2013 until his controversial dismissal by President Donald Trump in 2017, recently found himself under scrutiny after a cryptic Instagram post stirred accusations of a threat against the former president.
The post, a photo of seashells arranged in what appeared to be the numbers “86 47,” was captioned simply, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.” However, the seemingly innocent image quickly drew intense attention and alarm from political opponents, who interpreted the numbers as a coded message calling for violence against President Trump.
So, what’s behind the mysterious “86 47”?
In American slang, the number 86 often means “to get rid of” or “to eject” someone — originally used by bartenders to refuse service or remove unruly patrons. More recently, Merriam-Webster notes that 86 has been used in some circles as a euphemism for “to kill,” although this usage remains relatively uncommon.
The number 47 is widely understood to refer to Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, with the implication here being a suggestion to “remove” or “kill” Trump.
Notably, the controversial phrase isn’t new in political circles. Matt Gaetz, the Republican congressman who was once a contender for Attorney General before withdrawing amid scandal, has previously employed “86’d” in tweets to signify ousting political rivals.
Following the backlash, Comey removed the post and issued a statement explaining the numbers were intended as a political message — not a call for violence.
“I had no idea some people would connect those figures to violence,” Comey said. “I never thought of it that way, but I’m against all forms of violence, so I removed the post.”
President Trump, however, dismissed Comey’s explanation as disingenuous. Speaking to Fox News, he declared, “He understood exactly what that meant. A child understands that it meant assassination.”
Donald Trump Jr. also weighed in, accusing Comey of “casually calling for my dad to be murdered.”
Meanwhile, the US Secret Service has conducted an interview with Comey to probe the post further as Republicans continue to debate the implications of the cryptic message.
While confirming on X that former FBI Director James Comey had been interviewed as part of “an ongoing investigation,” U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem did not specify whether further actions might be taken against him.
The Department of Homeland Security oversees the Secret Service, which conducted the interview.
White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich condemned the post, stating it could be “clearly interpreted as a hit on the sitting president of the United States.”
In a message on X, Budowich added, “This is deeply concerning to all of us and is being taken seriously.”
James Blair, another White House official, described Comey’s post as a “Clarion Call (…) to terrorists & hostile regimes to kill the President of the United States as he travels in the Middle East.”
