President Trump accuses former FBI director of plotting his assasination

President Donald Trump on Friday, May 16, 2025, accused former FBI Director James Comey of implicitly calling for his assassination through a cryptic social media post.

The controversy began when Comey shared an Instagram photo of seashells arranged to spell out the numbers “8647” during a beach walk.

He captioned it, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”

Right-wing supporters interpreted the post as a veiled threat.

They claimed the number 86 is slang for eliminating someone, while 47 is associated with Trump as he is aiming to become the 47th U.S. president.

The Secret Service has launched an investigation into the matter.

Comey later explained that he saw the shell pattern as a political reference but had no intention of inciting violence.

“I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence.

It never occurred to me,” Comey said in a statement, adding that he opposes violence and removed the post once the interpretation gained traction.

However, Trump responded forcefully in an interview with Fox News from Abu Dhabi, suggesting that the message was clearly a coded call for assassination.

“He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant,” Trump said. “That meant assassination. And it says it loud and clear.”

Trump, who was on a four-day trip to the Middle East, claimed that Comey’s post was a reaction to his popularity and political momentum.

Comey’s 8647 post has fueled broader debates over increasingly inflammatory political rhetoric.

This incident reported;y adds to the growing tension between political factions.

This is particularly in light of two previous assassination attempts against Trump in the past year.

Although neither attacker appeared to be politically motivated.

The use of the number 86 has appeared in other political contexts as well.

For instance, T-shirts reading “8646” have been marketed to advocate for the impeachment of President Joe Biden, the 46th president.

This has contributed to a murky environment in which numbers and symbols are increasingly used as shorthand for political messages.

This incident is not isolated in the broader pattern of heated political discourse.

Last year, President Biden was criticized for using the phrase “put Trump in a bullseye,” which he later said was a mistake, especially as it came just days before an assassination attempt on Trump.

Meanwhile, Trump himself has repeatedly used inflammatory language.

In one instance, he suggested that former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney would not be as hawkish if she had “rifles shooting at her.”

A Secret Service spokesperson confirmed the agency is investigating Comey’s post, stating they take all potential threats seriously, though they have not provided additional details.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau would support the investigation fully.

High-profile figures in conservative circles have added fuel to the fire.

Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security Director, accused Comey on X (formerly Twitter) of directly calling for Trump’s assassination.

Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence, also dismissed Comey’s claim that the post was innocent.

Gabbard asserted that Comey knew exactly what he was doing and demanded legal accountability.

Speaking on Fox News, Gabbard went so far as to say that Comey was “issuing a hit” on the president, warning of the danger of such rhetoric.

The controversy arises just as Comey is preparing to release FDR Drive, the third novel in a crime fiction series about a fictional attorney, Nora Carleton.

The book centers on a U.S. attorney’s efforts to prosecute a far-right media figure who targets intellectuals, immigrants, and people of color.

The timing of the book’s release has led some to view Comey’s post as a marketing move, though others insist it was much more serious.

As the investigation unfolds, the incident underscores how charged and volatile American political discourse has become, with even ambiguous social media posts sparking major security concerns and partisan outrage.

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