MAGAworld saw more than seashells in a now-deleted Instagram post by James Comey.
Trump officials and supporters were up in arms Thursday night after the former FBI director posted a photo of seashells forming the numbers 8647.
“Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” he wrote in the caption.
In service industry parlance, “86” is widely understood to mean “to toss out” or “to get rid of.” In recent months, following assassination attempts on President Donald Trump, the phrase has taken on a darker meaning for MAGA, backed up by Merriam Webster, which states: “Among the most recent senses adopted is a logical extension of the previous ones, with the meaning of ‘to kill.’”
The White House interpreted the photo as just that—a threat against Trump, the 47th U.S. president.
“This is deeply concerning to all of us and is being taken seriously,” Taylor Budowich, White House deputy chief of staff, said in an X post.
“American leadership has been restored and peace is on the horizon,” Budowich added in another post. “This has left the Deep State desperate and dangerous—Comey is only the latest and most disturbing example of them lashing out through threats of violence.”
The swift backlash prompted Comey to delete the Instagram post and publish a follow-up.
“I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message,” he said. “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me but l oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”
Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said the agency was looking into the matter.
“We vigorously investigate anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees,” he said on X. “We are aware of the social media posts by the former FBI Director & we take rhetoric like this very seriously.”
FBI Director Kash Patel expressed support for the Secret Service investigation, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem vowed to “respond appropriately” to the perceived threat.
Comey has long had a testy relationship with the president, which started when Trump demanded loyalty from his then-FBI director during his first administration.
In 2017, Trump rocked Washington by sacking Comey as he was leading an investigation into allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
A year later, after Comey published a memoir that delved into his relationship with Trump, the president dismissed him as a “proven leaker and liar.”
Donald Trump Jr. also scorched Comey in a post on X.
“Just James Comey causally [sic] calling for my dad to be murdered,” the younger Trump wrote. “This is who the Dem-Media worships. Demented!!!!”
Comey’s post set off alarm bells on Capitol Hill, too.
House Speaker Mike Johnson also noted that Trump has already survived two assassination attempts—the first during a Pennsylvania rally in July last year was followed by a second one in Florida just two months later.
“Former disgraced FBI director James Comey is either threatening to kill Donald Trump or suggesting someone should,” Johnson wrote. “This is as outrageous as it is dangerous.”
Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles quickly fired off a letter to Patel and Secret Service Director Sean Curran urging a joint investigation into Comey’s “disturbing” post.
“The Left spent years claiming Republicans were guilty of ‘stochastic terrorism’ for expressing strong political opinions. Now, a former FBI Director appears to openly endorse assassinating the President—and they say nothing,” he said. “If Comey broke the law, he shouldn’t get a pass. He should be in handcuffs.”
Outside the Trump administration, MAGA fans were similarly incensed.
Far-right activist Laura Loomer didn’t buy Comey’s explanation that he was unaware of the informal meaning of “86.”
“He’s always been a liar obsessed with getting Trump,” she said on X. “Lock Comey up! THE FBI SHOULD RAID HIS HOME AND ARREST HIM!”
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones claimed that Comey “wants to ‘86’ the people’s will and the return of the American republic.”
“This guy needs to be in prison,” he added.
Rogan O’Handley, a MAGA influencer known for his online persona DC_Draino, said Comey must “face justice for inciting violence against the president.”
