President Trump slammed his former FBI director, James Comey, for posting a coded photo that he said called for his assassination.

“He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant … That meant ‘assassination,’” Trump said in an interview with Bret Baier on Friday.

Comey had posted a picture Thursday of seashells formed in the shape of “86 47” — a message that could be interpreted as “eliminating” him, since he’s the 47th president.

James Comey posted a photo Thursday of sea shells in the shape of “86 47.”
James Comey posted a photo Thursday of seashells in the shape of “86 47.”

Donald Trump
Trump thinks Comey called for his assassination, saying he “knew exactly what that meant.”Getty Images
One Webster’s Dictionary definition of “eighty-six” says the term means “to get rid of.” In the restaurant and bar industry, the phrase is used to indicate to staff that a menu item has run out, or that a customer is banned.

“Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” Comey had captioned the photo on Instagram.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem promptly said the “threat” was being investigated by DHS and the Secret Service.

James Comey
Comey’s alleged “threat” is being investigated, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said.AFP via Getty Images
“He’s calling for the assassination of the president,” Trump said after the Comey photo drew major backlash from the president’s allies.

“He’s a dirty cop,” Trump said of Comey — adding that Comey’s fate will be decided by Attorney General Pam Bondi, but that he thinks there should be no leniency.

“This is deeply concerning to all of us and is being taken seriously,” Trump deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich wrote on X.

President Donald Trump shaking hands with FBI Director James Comey at the Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception in the Blue Room of the White House, 2017
Trump and Comey in 2017.Getty Images
Don Jr., the president’s son, wrote, “Just James Comey casually calling for my dad to be murdered. This is who the Dem-Media worships. Demented!!!!”

Comey subsequently deleted the picture, saying he didn’t understand what the message meant in its entirety.

“I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn’t realize folks associate those numbers with violence,” Comey wrote on Instagram.

Former FBI Director James Comey testifies on Capitol Hill in 2016.
FBI Director James Comey testifies on Capitol Hill in 2016.AP
“It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”

The president survived two back-to-back attempts on his life in 2024. He was first shot at during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, by 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks. The bullet narrowly missed the president’s head but grazed his ear, leaving him bloody.

The president was then targeted in September on his golf course in Palm Beach after Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, waited over 12 hours in the bushes scoping out Trump’s route with a gun in hand. Routh fled after Secret Service agents fired at him, but was later arrested and is awaiting trial in Florida.