Uproar over '8647' code near White House, interpreted as call to kill Trump
United States authorities are investigating a large sign displaying the code “8647” on the grass of the National Mall, near the White House, in Washington DC. The code has been interpreted by some as a call to assassinate US President Donald Trump.
Photographs taken from the location, as reported by Reuters and Anadolu Agency on Friday (12/6/2026), show large “86” and “47” digits visible on the grass near the World War II Memorial within the National Mall complex.
The giant numbers have begun to fade but remain visible from the air. In photographs taken by a Reuters photographer from above the Washington Monument, the digits eight, six, and seven are still visible, though the number four is no longer clearly discernible.
US Park Police stated that officers responded to reports of vandalism on the western grounds of the Washington Monument. US National Guard personnel have also been deployed to the site.
It is currently unclear how the numbers appeared on the grass or who is responsible for the vandalism. An investigation is being conducted by the US Department of the Interior, which has deployed personnel to the site to carry out a thorough inspection.
“The numbers 86 47 were marked on the grass,” the department stated in a statement.
“The cause of the colour change has not yet been determined. Grass samples have been collected for testing. The investigation is ongoing,” the statement added.
Some individuals suggest that the number “86” is a code referring to violence, while others note it is a common slang term originating from the restaurant industry, meaning to remove, cancel, or discard.
The number “47” appears to refer to Trump, who is the 47th US President. When the two numbers are combined, several parties have interpreted it as “kill President Trump.”
The White House, in its statement, emphasised that it takes any potential threats seriously.
“Anyone involved in or supporting political violence or a culture of assassination must be condemned in the strongest possible terms,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told CBS News.
The appearance of the “8647” numbers is not the first occurrence. The numbers were previously at the centre of a high-profile criminal case involving former FBI Director James Comey, who was accused by US federal prosecutors of threatening Trump based on a photo he posted to social media in 2025, featuring seashells on a beach arranged to form the numbers “8647.”
Comey deleted the post and explained that he was unaware that his post could be interpreted as a call to violence. Regardless, the numbers “8647” were subsequently adopted by Trump’s political opponents as a form of protest against his administration.