National Mall grass vandalized with vague threat to Trump

U.S. Park Police were investigating after dead grass patches forming the number 8, along with the fainter numbers of 6, 4, and 7, appeared on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Images from the EarthCam livestream showed the numbers first appeared on Wednesday evening on the grass near the World War II memorial.

The number 86 is an American slang term that can mean “get rid of” or “kill.” The number 47 could refer to Trump, the 47th president of the United States. The Department of the Interior, which manages the National Mall through the National Park Service, said it took threats to the president seriously and that police would hold the vandal accountable, Reuters reported. Police were also testing grass samples to determine the cause of the discoloration.

Have these number threats come up before? Former FBI head James Comey has faced criminal charges for posting a photo of beach shells arranged into the same numbers over a year ago. Comey said at the time that he thought the message was political and didn’t realize it could have a violent meaning. Both of the charges against him carry a potential maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. A U.S. District Court judge dismissed the charges against him, but the prosecutors have appealed the case. Comey is assumed innocent until proven guilty in court. 

Numerous security threats to President Trump have been made public, including two assassination attempts during his 2024 campaign to return to the White House. In April this year, a gunman attempted to run into the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. 

Dig deeper: Read my report on Comey’s social media post for more details.