King Charles III and President Trump meet at the White House
President Donald Trump welcomes King Charles III to the White House on an unusual state visit amid heightened tensions over Iran and NATO.
The seashell photo and series of numbers are back in the spotlight after former FBI Director James Comey, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, was indicted for a second time.
The indictment, first reported by CNN and the New York Times, centers on social media posts by Comey in May 2025. According to Reuters, Comey posted a since-deleted Instagram photo with the number 8647 made of seashells.
“I was walking on the beach and there were some cool shells,” Comey said.
The post sparked outrage from members of the Trump administration at the time, who called it a veiled threat against Trump. Kristi Noem, the then-Secretary of Homeland Security who oversees the Secret Service, said both Homeland Security and the Secret Service would investigate and “respond appropriately.”
Both charges come after President Trump specifically called for criminal charges against Comey in September. Comey served as FBI director during the first Trump administration until Trump fired him in 2017.
Mr. Comey’s post has become a hot topic again, but what exactly does 8647 mean?
What does “8647” mean? The possible message behind Comey’s post
Comey’s post was interpreted by some as saying “86” number 47, meaning Trump is the 47th president.
According to Merriam-Webster, “86” is used as a colloquial term to mean “throw away,” “remove,” or “refuse service.”
The origin of the term is debated, with some saying it came from the former New York bar Chumley’s at 86 Bedford Street, where bartenders would kick out disorderly patrons.
Another version, cited in the book History and Stories of New York’s Best Bars, is that during Prohibition, police would call bartenders at Chumley’s and shoo patrons out the door at 86 Bedford with an “86” so they wouldn’t have to arrest patrons.
According to Merriam-Webster, the term comes from 1930s soda counter slang, meaning a product is sold out, and may be derived from the term “nicks,” which is still used by restaurant and bar servers.
USA TODAY’s Melina Khan and Aysha Bagchi contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact us at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow us at X @fern_cerv_.
