In Fox News interview set to air tonight, Trump says "dirty cop" Comey knew what 86 meant, was calling for assassination

[highplainsdem]

AL.com article - https://www.al.com/politics/2025/05/trump-says-dirty-cop-former-fbi-director-meant-assassination-with-86-47-seashells-picture.html - that I also posted about in LBN:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143460176

President Donald Trump said there was no doubt what former FBI Director James Comey was implying when he posted a beach photo showing seashells arranged with the message “86 47.?

“He knew exactly what he meant, a child knows what that meant … that meant assassination,“ Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier during an interview on ”Special Report” set to air Friday night. “And it says it loud and clear.”

-snip-

“Now, he wasn’t very competent but he was competent enough to know what that meant. And he did it [posted the photo] for a reason, and he was hit so hard because people like me and they like what’s happening to our country … He’s calling for the assassination of the president."

-snip-

“I think it’s a terrible thing, and when you add his history to that, if he had a clean history – he doesn’t, he’s a dirty cop …

Aaron Rupar post with video on Bluesky:

Trump on Comey: "He knew exactly what that meant ... it meant assassination. It says it loud and clear ... he's calling for the assassination of the president ... it's gonna be up to Pam ... he's a dirty cop."

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-05-16T13:13:22.753Z

Rupar's identical post on Twitter is in reply 1 of the KBN thread.

[underpants]

1. This is topic #1 on rightwing X today

Everyone is posting about it.

[Lovie777]

3. Well at least they're off Pres Biden for now....

the drama queens are afoot.

[highplainsdem]

9. I'd been searching for AI and copyright news earlier, hadn't looked at the Trending topics on X. Just

did and saw RW troll and podcaster Jack Posobiec, who claims Comey was openly calling for assassination, being reminded of his "86 46" post in 2022.

Link to tweet

One of the people reminding Posobiec of that post was Frank Luntz:

Link to tweet

[Trueblue1968]

15. That is crap ..... I didn't know what the writing of 8646 ... 86 47 means. What the crud !!!!!!!!

[highplainsdem]

16. It's apparently been political shorthand for impeach (46 Biden or 47 Trump) for years, and MAGA

loved 86 46 merch. But I just saw a thread where a Trump supporter was reminded of that, and they claimed "it's different now" because of the assassination attempt last year, and "Comey knew that."

[underpants]

23. They live for the next exaggeration and extrapolation

[clevergrrrl]

34. We are living in the upside world

the will promote the most ridiculous notions as loyalty tests, it's the constant bullshit we've been fed since he latest took over.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. Stupid tRump is stepping on his own story of his mid-east tour.

So much work arranging all the deals and the entourage of CEOs and now he's pumping up this.

[surfered]

5. Trump should be thanking Comey for helping him defeat Hillary

[Ms. Toad]

4. Trump only "knows" because someone told him.

And that someone forgot to add that normally it simply means dumping - not assassinating.

[highplainsdem]

17. Good point. And leaving out the normal meaning while explaining it to Trump would probably have been deliberate.

[Ms. Toad]

21. Yup. n/t

[kacekwl]

30. He was told once they had to 86

the Big Macs because they were all gone. He had the cook killed sooo....

[Ms. Toad]

37. .

[Conjuay]

6. I remember hanging Pres Obama in Effigy

They seemed to think that was no big deal.
I guess these are
"Death Knell sea shells by the sea shore".

[moondust]

7. Wrong again.

To my knowledge "86" has NEVER meant anything as serious as assassination. NEVER.

He's just making up libellous shit again. He should have been sued for libel or slander a thousand times already.

[highplainsdem]

13. I wish that were true, and the "kill" meaning is rarely meant, but Wikipedia cites a slang

dictionary published in 2005 and other slang dictionaries for that rare meaning:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/86_(term)

According to Cassell's Dictionary of Slang, "to 86" also means "to kill, to murder; to execute judicially," likely referring to the size of a standard grave being 2.5 feet wide by 8 feet long and 6 feet deep.[8][9] Other slang dictionaries confirm this definition.[10][11][12]

Snopes: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/86/

[Self Esteem]

25. I have never ever heard it referred to that. Ever.

Ever.

Never.

Ever.

In all my time on this earth, never ever.

And just to be clear: ever.

And just to be clearer: I used it all the time ten or so years ago when I was a bartender and I had someone removed.

"You keep that up and you're 86'd from here. "

Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever heard anyone use it to mean murder. Ever. Never never ever ever.

[highplainsdem]

28. I don't doubt you at all. It's not the normal usage. But Trump and his followers will do everything

they can to exploit it and harass Comey, even if they don't arrest and charge him. And Comey's life will be at risk because of MAGA craziness.

[Self Esteem]

29. Still doesn't change the meaning...

Or the fact conservatives used the exact same phrase for Biden.

[womanofthehills]

36. According to Groc AI

“The number 86, in its most common usage, does not directly mean "hit job." It is primarily American English slang, originating in the hospitality industry, meaning to remove, eject, or get rid of something or someone, often because an item is out of stock or a person is unwelcome. For example, a restaurant might "86" a menu item if it’s sold out, or a bartender might "86" a disruptive customer by kicking them out. The term has also been used more broadly to mean discarding or eliminating something, including in military jargon to refer to scrapping equipment or canceling a mission.[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/86_%28term%29)[](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/86_%28term%29)

However, there is a specific context where "86" has been associated with a more violent meaning, including the idea of a "hit job" (assassination or murder). According to *Cassell's Dictionary of Slang* and other slang sources, "to 86" can mean "to kill, to murder, or to execute judicially," possibly derived from the dimensions of a standard grave (8 feet long, 6 feet deep). Additionally, a theory from organized crime circles suggests "86" refers to taking someone "eight miles out of town and six feet under," implying murder. This interpretation gained attention in 2025 when former FBI Director James Comey posted an Instagram photo of a seashell formation resembling "8647," which some critics interpreted as a veiled threat against the 47th President, Donald Trump, based on the mafia-related "86" meaning. Comey later deleted the post, stating he was unaware of the violent connotation.[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/86_%2

While the "hit job" meaning exists in certain slang contexts, particularly in organized crime or sensationalized interpretations, it is not the primary or most widely recognized definition of "86." The term’s usage as "hit job" is more niche and often tied to speculative or conspiratorial narratives, as seen in some X posts and media discussions. In contrast, the hospitality and general "get rid of" meanings are far more common and historically documented since the 1930s.[](https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/eighty-six-meaning-origin)[](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/86/)

So, while "86" *can* mean "hit job" in specific, rare contexts, it’s not its standard or default meaning. Always consider the context in which the term is used to determine its intended sense.”

[moondust]

38. "particularly in organized crime"

That explains the "niche" GQP interpretation.

[Dennis Donovan]

8. Video from Rupar's Bluesky post

Aaron Rupar
‪@atrupar.com‬
Trump on Comey: "He knew exactly what that meant ... it meant assassination. It says it loud and clear ... he's calling for the assassination of the president ... it's gonna be up to Pam ... he's a dirty cop."

May 16, 2025 at 9:13 AM

Trump on Comey: "He knew exactly what that meant ... it meant assassination. It says it loud and clear ... he's calling for the assassination of the president ... it's gonna be up to Pam ... he's a dirty cop."

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-05-16T13:13:22.753Z

[malaise]

10. I am your retribution

He meant his own

[Abolishinist]

11. How do we know it's not Lh98?

[unblock]

12. If that was true, he'd address it quietly rather than publicizing a call for his own assassination

The mere fact that he's talking about it publicly proves he knows it's a lie.

[Buns_of_Fire]

14. 86: Maxwell Smart. (ref. "Get Smart" for us fossils.) nt

[Abolishinist]

24. Interesting, I'm familiar with Maxwell Smart but not aware of the '86' origin.

Maxwell "Max" Smart, Agent 86, (Don Adams) is the central character of the series. Despite being a top-secret government agent, he is absurdly clumsy. Yet Smart is also resourceful, skilled in hand-to-hand combat, a proficient marksman, and incredibly lucky; all of this makes him one of CONTROL's top agents.

Brooks decided on Smart's code number, 86, as a reference to the slang term, meaning to forcibly eject someone, such as a patron from a bar or casino.

[Raven]

18. I thought a "dirty cop" was someone who took bribes....hmmmmm, reminds me of someone else.

[kentuck]

19. He's looking for validation....

If he gets it, he will act.

Not a good sign.

[global1]

20. You Know Is Tr**p Posted Such A Photo And There Was An Uproar Around It......

he would say he was making a joke. It's just a joke folks. Just a joke.

[Prairie Gates]

22. Who cares?

[bmbmd]

26. My father was a ham radio operator .

Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t hams use “86” for “goodbye”?

[jls4561]

27. I've only ever heard it used by bartenders.

[stillcool]

32. yeah...me too

and in restaurants when chefs run out of something they 86 it. You're either cut off from the bar, or you can't have the chowder.

[whathehell]

33. In a restaurant..

86 meant something on that day's menu was no longer available -- Waitstaff heard it all the time.

[kacekwl]

31. 86 46 stickers and other

Merch is still available on line. What say Faux about this.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

39. A beach photo?

With seashells? What's he following Comey on Facebook or Instagram?

Doesn't everybody put hits on people in a beach photo with seashells? JFC!

What an asshole.