Topline
The numbers “86 47,” the controversial message that landed former FBI Director James Comey in legal trouble, were spotted over the weekend on a sculpture inside Texas’ tent at the Great American State Fair, marking the latest complication for the Trump-backed event that has been mired with small crowds, weather problems and controversial displays since kicking off last week.
Key Facts
The controversial numbers were seen written on a smaller version of Amarillo, Texas’, graffiti-covered “Cadillac Ranch” sculpture, which visitors were encouraged to cover with their own handwriting.
A photo taken of the sculpture showed the numbers on June 27, the third day the fair was open, though it is unclear who wrote them.
The numbers were “immediately covered,” Andrew Mahaleris, a press secretary for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, told Forbes in a statement on Monday, adding the incident was “under investigation.”
Although “86” is frequently used in the restaurant industry to mean “remove” an item or a customer, Trump and administration officials have repeatedly denounced the numbers as a call to assassinate the president.
The White House did not immediately return a request for comment from Forbes.
Crucial Quote
“This installation was created to celebrate Texas culture, heritage, and our state’s central role in the American story. We are disappointed that someone defaced it with disgusting anti-Trump political graffiti,” Mahaleris told Forbes. “This kind of partisan attack has no place in an exhibit honoring Texas and America.”
What Does ‘86 47’ Mean?
“86” is a common bar and restaurant term that usually means “to get rid of” or “to throw out,” according to Merriam Webster. Although it frequently is used to describe a menu item that is sold out, it can also refer to removing an unruly or intoxicated customer. Trump and members of the administration insist the phrase instead refers to a call to kill someone, with the president even claiming he thought it was a “mob term.” Merriam Webster says this can be an extension of the original definition, although it does not include it due to “relative recency and sparseness of use.”
Key Background
In May 2025, Comey, the former FBI director who Trump fired months into his first term in office, posted an image on Instagram of shells on a beach arranged to form “86 47.” The former FBI director quickly apologized for the post, insisting “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence.” However, Comey was quickly placed under investigation, and later indicted by a federal grand jury for threatening to harm the president. A federal judge dropped the case later in the year, ruling the prosecutor leading the case wasn’t legally appointed. Comey was indicted again in April related to the post, and the case is set to go to trial in October. Since the Comey affair, the numbers have been showing up more in protests against Trump—most recently written in huge numerals on grass on the National Mall earlier in June.
