The Significance of the Number 86
The number 86 holds a unique place in slang, having been used for roughly a century. It’s commonly understood to mean “remove” or “throw away.”
When referring to a person, the term can imply firing someone or denying their service. Yet, “86 people” also carries a more serious connotation: it can mean to kill someone.
“Any threats against the president are taken very seriously.”
Just weeks ahead of the major America 250 celebrations in Washington, D.C., and mere days before a UFC event at the White House, a large “86 47” appeared on the National Mall, seemingly etched or burned into the ground near the World War II Memorial.
The numbers 86 and 47— the latter likely referencing the 47th President, Donald Trump— were still visible as of Friday. A live feed from the EarthCam camera atop the Washington Monument captured this.
Members of the National Guard and U.S. Park Police responded to a call about the vandalism around 11:30 a.m. Thursday. The area was quickly blocked off by National Park Service personnel.
Park police stated they collected grass samples for analysis.
The U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Mall and various national parks, issued a statement condemning the vandalism, calling it “unacceptable.” They emphasized that “We take any threats against the President very seriously, and the U.S. Park Police will investigate this incident and hold those responsible accountable.”
White House Press Secretary David Ingle criticized the act, asserting, “Those who engage in or support a culture of political violence and assassination must be condemned in the strongest terms possible.”
Just days prior, U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss, appointed by former President Barack Obama, had prohibited the National Park Service from permitting anti-Trump groups to wave “86 47” flags in the vicinity.
The group Accountability Now USA has been vocal against the Trump administration, with volunteers continuously chanting for the president’s resignation near the George Meade statue on Constitution Avenue in D.C. In April, NPS officials informed the group that their displays of “unprotected obscene speech” were illegal and not covered by the First Amendment.
Judge Moss seemed to take issue with NPS’s concerns regarding the group’s messages, which were aimed at a president who has faced assassination attempts at least three times. He remarked that “The word ’86’ was used far more often to mean ‘drive out’ than to ‘kill,’ appearing primarily in demonstrations focused on impeachment and ‘removal’ of the president.”
The vandals behind the incident on the National Mall and the activists from Accountability Now USA are not alone in their numerical calls for some form of removal of President Trump.
In late April, former FBI Director James Comey faced indictment for a now-deleted social media post depicting seashells arranged to form “86 47.” He was charged with threatening the president’s life and sending communications containing threats to kill the president.
Although she has not been charged, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) received criticism during Trump’s first term in 2020 after wearing a pin reading “8645.” At the time, Trump was the 45th president.
The Trump War Room account noted that “Just weeks after someone sent a package containing ricin to the White House, Whitmer is encouraging an assassination attempt against President Trump.”
