A huge number has been burned into the grass of Washington DC’s National Mall — a message interpreted by Donald Trump’s supporters as a coded threat to assassinate the president.
Aerial photographs show the figures “86 47” etched into the dying grass of the iconic park, just days before Trump’s 80th birthday and a UFC match scheduled in the area. The number 47 refers to Trump’s place in the line of American presidents, and “86” is slang long used in the hospitality industry to mean “get rid of” or “throw out”. The Merriam-Webster dictionary notes that a more recent extension of the term means “to kill”.
“‘8647’ code, interpreted as an assassination threat, appears in National Mall grass days before Trump’s 80th birthday and a UFC match.”
An Interior Department spokesperson said: “Any threat against the president is taken very seriously by the Department, and our U.S. Park Police will investigate this incident and hold those responsible accountable.” Grass samples have been collected as part of the investigation to determine what caused the discolouration.
It is not the first time the code has been directed at Trump. Earlier this year, former FBI director James Comey was indicted for “threatening” Trump with a photo of seashells arranged to spell “8647”. The US Secret Service interviewed Comey in May after Trump administration officials claimed he was advocating the assassination of the 47th president. Comey deleted the post, writing: “I didn’t realise some folks associate those numbers with violence… I oppose violence of any kind, so I took the post down.”
Trump, however, told Fox News Channel: “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.”
The appearance of the numbers on the National Mall comes as Trump faces mounting pressure over the war with Iran. After threatening to strike Iran “hard”, he later announced on Truth Social that he had cancelled scheduled strikes and bombings, saying discussions had been approved by multiple countries including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and others. The naval blockade, he said, would remain until a transaction is finalised.
The Park Police investigation is ongoing. No suspects have been named, and it remains unclear when the message was carved into the grass.