Former FBI Director James Comey is at the center of a firestorm after posting a photo that many interpreted as a veiled call for violence against President Donald Trump.
On Thursday afternoon, Comey shared a photo on Instagram. It showed seashells arranged in the sand to spell out: “86 47.” Might be seemingly innocent to some, but those numbers have long been used by fringe anti-Trump groups as coded language—“86” being slang for “kill,” and “47” referencing Trump, the 47th president.
James Comey just issued a call to action to murder the President of the United States.
As a former FBI Director and someone who spent most of his career prosecuting mobsters and gangsters, he knew exactly what he was doing and must be held accountable under the full force of the… pic.twitter.com/zvbu5Vf0zg
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) May 16, 2025
The backlash was immediate.
“Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of President Trump,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X. “DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.”
Trump’s son, Don Jr., called it out as well, “Just James Comey causally [sic] calling for my dad to be murdered. This is who the Dem-Media worships. Demented!”
Comey deleted the photo not long after posting it, but screenshots were already circulating widely across social media, especially among pro-Trump accounts.
Trump ally and FBI Director Kash Patel weighed in, saying, “We are aware of the recent social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump… we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support.”
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich also made a remark, “While President Trump is currently on an international trip to the Middle East, the former FBI Director puts out what can clearly be interpreted as ‘a hit’ on the sitting President.”
‼️👀 Today has been 8647 days since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
How many messages was James Comey sending today? 👀 pic.twitter.com/FYUf61ahxT
— Diligent Denizen 🇺🇸 (@DiligentDenizen) May 16, 2025
In a statement Thursday night, Comey claimed ignorance of the number’s connotation. “I posted a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence… I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”
Supporters of Comey argue that “86” more commonly means “to throw out” or “discard,” and that the post likely meant Trump should be removed from office, not harmed.
Still, the controversy comes at a tense time. Trump recently survived a narrow brush with death at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a bullet grazed his ear. Not long after, authorities foiled an Iranian-backed plot to assassinate him.
James Comey is lying, he knows exactly what he meant and the @FBI needs to arrest him immediately and all his communications need to be confiscated. He could have signaled someone. pic.twitter.com/dcvsG7YYMZ
— Dr. Interracial 🇺🇸 (@billysandytodd) May 15, 2025
“Don’t know how this can be interpreted as any other way but a threat against President Trump,” commentator Meghan McCain posted. “James Comey should at the very least get a visit from the Secret Service.”
Meanwhile, Comey’s name surged to the top of trending topics in the U.S. on X Thursday night, with over 213,000 mentions.
He previously served as FBI director from 2013 until Trump fired him in 2017. The fallout from that event continues to ripple, now reignited by a cryptic post in the sand.
