The timeline goes a little….like this:
PART I
Silly: Former FBI director James Comey shared a photo via Instagram on May 15, 2025 with a seashell arrangement of the numbers “86 47” that he said he found on a North Carolina beach. Via The Guardian, the original post that started it all:
To 86 something is common slang to “throw out” and 47 refers to Donald Trump, the 47th president of the United States. “86 47” then was, in many people’s opinions, a silly way of saying, get rid of the President: Impeach.
Serious: But because…apparently….Trump, Comey was charged with making a threat against the president’s life, and transmitting that threat through “interstate commerce.” I.e. THE INTERNET. The DOJ indictment quotes the current Attorney General, Todd Blanche: “Threatening the life of the President of the United States is a grave violation of our nation’s laws”.
The reason The Guardian, other news outlets, and I have reproduced the image is to document and analyze it as a matter of public interest. It’s inclusion here is solely for the purpose of reporting, commentary, and memetic analysis.
At the moment, Comey actually faces ten years in jail. To so many people, it seems so silly, and dismissible, and yet, I can certainly imagine he must be under significant duress, for the outcome of ten years in prison would be severe. Comey is arguing that the prosecution is politically motivated, and that the seashell post is protected speech under the First Amendment.
PART II
Silly: Just a few weeks ago, on June 11, 2026, police opened an investigation into a massive “86 47” burned into the National Mall lawn in Washington, D.C.
Photographer Nathan Howard appears to have been the first person to capture it, having received a tip that police were on their way, or discovered it “emerging” himself, per Reuters.
My first thought? Banksy. It fits the style, ambition, and cultural impact of his work. Who else besides Banksy has the technical expertise to execute something like this? Considering the level of surveillance around Washington, D.C. from so many agencies, it would seem virtually impossible for one to reasonably expect they would not be found.
A close-up of the 8 shows how the numbers were created with uniform circles, through a method that caused the grass to die and turn brown. Perhaps some kind of chemical was concealed in a backpack or on the person and then pumped through an inconspicuous spray or tubing onto the grass.
The EarthCam from the Washington Monument shows how and when it may have been created on June 8th. In a timelapse published by PBS News Hour, you can see relevant patterns of movement by people tracing out the area.
In one amazing round of public commentary, Trump’s Truth Social post, which helped spread the “86 47” meme even further, was reposted by ALT National Park Service on Facebook, complete with a “Community Comment”, along with thousands of interactions from Facebook users, many who were quick to point out that Trump calls numbers, “letters”.
A search for “8647” on Amazon yields over 900 products to date. Here’s a look, sorted by “Featured”:
It’s interesting to see how silly and serious this all seems to be all at the same time.
