Trump says Comey 'probably' endangered his life with '8647' seashell post

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said James Comey "probably" put his life in danger when the former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation posted a picture on Instagram of seashells in a formation that read "8647."

"Probably. I don't know," Trump told reporters April 29 when asked whether he believes the May 2025 post endangered his life, one day after a federal grand jury in North Carolina charged Comey with threatening to harm Trump because of the post.

"You know, based on what I'm seeing out there, yeah. People like Comey have created tremendous danger, I think, for politicians and others," Trump added, making his first public remarks on the indictment.

Comey appeared in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on April 29 following the indictment, which marked the second time the Department of Justice has sought to secure charges against Comey, a longtime Trump rival.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that "86" is a "mob term" that means "kill him."

"When they want to kill somebody, they say '86' the son of a gun," Trump said.

What does '86' mean?

Yet the origin of "86" is debated, and the term has alternate meanings. The phrase "8647" is often used by protesters of Trump calling for his ouster from office. The term can be used colloquially to mean “to throw out,” “to get rid of,” or “to refuse service to," according to Merriam-Webster. In the restaurant industry, "86" is often said when an item is sold out.

During Prohibition, police would call the bartenders at a bar in New York to "86" their patrons out the 86 Bedford door so they wouldn’t have to arrest them, according to another origin story from the book “The History and Stories of the Best Bars of New York.”

Comey was previously prosecuted by the Trump administration last year for allegedly lying to Congress, but the case was dismissed after a judge determined the prosecutor who brought it – a former personal lawyer to Trump with no previous prosecutorial experience – was unlawfully appointed. The DOJ has appealed that ruling.

Both prosecutions came amid a broad pressure campaign on law enforcement pushed by Trump to target his political enemies, including through criminal prosecution.

Nevertheless, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche denied Trump directed the DOJ to bring the charges against Comey.

"Of course not, absolutely, positively not," Blanche said on "CBS Mornings" on April 29.

Contributing: USA TODAY's Aysha Bagchi, Josh Meyer and Fernando Cervantes Jr.

Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.