Federal authorities are investigating the origin of large writings spelling out “86 47” that appeared Thursday on the National Mall lawn.

U.S. Park Police responded to a report of vandalism on the west lawn of the Washington Monument, where the numbers “86 47” were marked in the grass.

“The deranged vandalism on our National Mall will not be tolerated,” the Department of the Interior said in a statement to MS NOW.

“Any threat against the President is taken very seriously by the Department, and our U.S. Park Police will investigate this incident and hold those responsible accountable,” the agency said.

The Trump administration has taken issue with the phrase, insisting it is a clear threat to kill the 47th U.S. president. That argument is the basis for the Justice Department’s prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey over his May 2025 Instagram post showing a picture of seashells on a beach arranged to form “86 47.”

Comey, whose first indictment was dismissed in November due to the illegal appointment of the prosecutor who secured it, maintains he did not intend to threaten violence by posting the picture, and deleted it.

However, as at least one judge in an unrelated case has noted, to “86” something is an expression believed to have origins in the restaurant industry and is commonly considered shorthand for taking something off the menu.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche previously acknowledged that “that phrase is used constantly,” and that “every one of those statements do not result in indictments.”

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