President Donald Trump addressed former FBI Director James Comey’s since-deleted Thursday social media post, which many interpreted as a call for assassination.
GOP Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt was among those who condemned the image that Comey shared, which said “86 47” made out of rocks and shells on a beach.
Comey wrote in response, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”
“Just the former director of the FBI calling for the assassination of our President. Every single Democrat should denounce this but sadly their media allies won’t even ask them about it,” Schmitt posted.
Just the former director of the FBI calling for the assassination of our President.
Every single Democrat should denounce this but sadly their media allies won’t even ask them about it. pic.twitter.com/VeqyFqXaBA
— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) May 15, 2025
Both Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and current FBI Director Kash Patel posted Thursday on X that the matter will be investigated by the Secret Service, with HHS and the FBI providing support.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defined 86 as slang for “to throw out,” “to get rid of,” or “to refuse service to.” In a restaurant setting, it means to take off the menu.
Fox News host Bret Baier asked Trump during the last stop of his three-nation Middle East tour in the United Arab Emirates what he made of Comey’s post.
Should Comey face criminal charges?
“He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant. If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant, that meant assassination. And it says it loud and clear,” Trump said.
President @realdonaldtrump slams disgraced ex-FBI director James Comey for his “86 47” post on instagram:
“He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant … That meant ‘assassination’…He is a dirty cop.” pic.twitter.com/8fkGUC8fab
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) May 16, 2025
“He did it for a reason, and he was hit so hard because people like me and they like what’s happening with our country. Our country’s become respected again. … And he’s calling for the assassination of the president,” Trump added.
Baier noted that Comey later apologized in a social media post, writing that he “didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence” and merely thought it was a political message.
“It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down,” he added.
Comey deleted his threat against President Trump and posted a statement claiming he just randomly stumbled across Trump derangement syndrome shell art and had no idea what it meant.
Yes, I’m sure the guy who once ran the FBI was just clueless on this one. pic.twitter.com/CjtJIzIxDL
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) May 15, 2025
Trump argued that the only reason Comey apologized was because of the strong blowback his post received, with so many interpreting it as a call for assassination.
“What do you want to see happen?” Baier asked.
“I don’t want to take a position on it, because it’s going to be up to [Attorney General] Pam [Bondi] and all the great people, but I will say this, I think it’s a terrible thing,” the president answered.
“If he had a clean history, he doesn’t; he’s a dirty cop,” Trump continued. “If he had a clean history, I could understand if there was a leniency, but I’m going to let them make that decision.”
Trump fired Comey shortly into his first term in 2017, with the president reportedly angered by Comey’s involvement in initiating and continuing the Russia collusion investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign.
A probe headed by former FBI Director Robert Mueller determined after nearly two years of investigation that the Trump campaign had not colluded with Russia.
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