Democratic congressional hopeful sparks fury with anti-Trump 'threat' after ex-FBI chief shared similar message
Maura Sullivan, who is running to replace Democrat Chris Pappas in the state's first district as Pappas is aiming to win a Senate seat in 2026, posted to social media from a 'No Kings Day' rally with an anti-Trump protester with the message to '86 47.'
The number '86' is seen as slang for eliminating someone and '47' a direct reference to Donald Trump 's presidential number.
'The way to support our veterans is to protect the values we fought for. Freedom from tyranny. Democracy. And a better life for all of us,' Sullivan wrote.
Sullivan, a former Marine Corps officer and Pentagon official under Barack Obama, stood next to a man with a poster board reading 'Veterans For Democracy' that include the '86' message, as well as a bumper sticker that read 'Foxtrot Delta Tango.'
Those words in the NATO phonetic alphabet spell out 'FDT,' which is often seen as short for 'F*** Donald Trump.'
'Standing in front of a sign advocating for the demise of the President. Now we know what you stand for,' wrote one social media fan of Trump.
Owen Girard added: 'Immediately lost the primary with this pic lol.'
Maura Sullivan, who is running to replace Democrat Chris Pappas in the state's first district as Pappas is aiming to win a Senate seat in 2026, posted to social media from a 'No Kings Day' rally with an anti-Trump protester with the message to '86 47'
One poster noted that just hours earlier, Sullivan had condemned the killing of two Minnesota legislators and decrying politically-motivated bloodshed.
'Less than 8 hours after calling for an end to political violence, future loser @maurasullivan poses with an '86-47 FDT' sign. Hypocrite doesn't even begin to describe it.'
Sullivan has yet to comment on the outrage.
Former FBI Director Comey found himself under federal investigation for an Instagram post that many in Trump's circle interpreted as a veiled threat against the 47th president's life.
The photo was of the seemingly innocuous image of seashells spelling out the numbers '86 47.'
But it had a sinister interpretation with the number '86' being slang for eliminate and '47' a direct reference to Donald Trump 's presidential number.
Comey, who has since deleted the post, claimed ignorance of the term but his excuse has done little to quell the firestorm.
Following the post, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem dispatched agents to interview Comey.
He was escorted from his suburban Virginia home and questioned at the Secret Service's Washington field office.
'We vigorously investigate anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees,' said agency spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi.
The interview, while reportedly standard, sent shockwaves through Washington.
Tulsi Gabbard, now serving as Director of National Intelligence, publicly called for Comey to be jailed.
Trump's former FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that the Bureau was also supporting the probe.
President Trump, already the target of two assassination attempts in the last year, didn't hold back.
'He knew exactly what that meant,' Trump told Fox News. 'A child knows what that meant… If you're the FBI director and you don't know what that meant, that meant assassination, and it says it loud and clear.'
Last week Comey said that he and his wife, Patrice, had been returning from a walk on the beach when they came upon some shells organized in a way that resembled the numbers.
Comey then issued an apology (above) shortly after it was revealed he was under investigation
They speculated over whether it was a home address, or a political message.
His wife noted that '86' in some restaurants means they had run out of an ingredient.
Comey remembered it was slang for saying something was boring and should be 'ditched.'
'And she said, "You should take a picture of it." So I took a picture of it, and then we walk home and she said, "You should really put that on Instagram. It's kind of a cool thing." I said, "You're right. It's a cool thing,"' he explained.
'Some hours later she (Patrice) said to me, "You know, people on the internet are saying you're calling for the assassination of Donald Trump,"' Comey explained. 'And I said, "Well, if they're saying that, I'm taking it down because I don't want any part of violence.'"
Comey pulled the image, but it had already reached the attention of Trump and other administration officials.
The enmity between Comey and Trump stretches back years, beginning when Trump fired him in May 2017 amid an FBI investigation into potential ties between Russia and Trump's presidential campaign.
That inquiry, later taken over by special counsel Robert Mueller, would ultimately find that while Russia interfered in the 2016 election and the Trump team welcomed the help, there was insufficient evidence to prove a criminal collaboration.
Comey later accused Trump of asking for personal loyalty and documented the conversation in a now-infamous memo.
Since his firing, Comey has become one of Trump's fiercest critics endorsing Biden in 2020 and Harris in 2024. But this latest incident has thrust their bitter feud into new territory.
During his MSNBC interview Comey appeared defiant and said he expects the investigation into his post 'will go away,' because as he put it, 'there's nothing there.'
'Part of the roar of Trump is to freak out his victims, the people he targets,' Comey said. 'So don't give them that. But also don't neglect the threat. Protect yourself.'
Pressed on why he continues to speak out publicly, he replied: 'I was… trying to withdraw a little bit… Be a grandfather, be an author… But the reason I'm dressed in my old uniform is to remind myself that's the coward's way. You must stand up and speak.'
To conservatives already enraged over the '86 47' post, Comey's warning that Democrats will 'turn the tables' sounded more like a threat, but Comey made no apologies.
Comey has written several books since Trump fired him, including the million-selling memoir A Higher Loyalty.
More recently, he has taken up fiction, his previous novels including Central Park Drive and Westport.
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