An ominous sign of apparent protest aimed at US President Donald Trump has surfaced on the National Mall, only days before large numbers of people are expected there for a UFC event taking place on Trump’s birthday, Sunday June 14.
The message appeared as the numbers ‘8647’, cut into an otherwise neatly maintained stretch of grass near the World War II Memorial. It was first spotted on Thursday, June 11, after aerial photographs revealed just how large the marking was.
Although the images drew attention on Thursday, it is still not known exactly when the numbers were created. Getty Images photos of the National Mall taken on June 5 do not show the markings, suggesting they appeared sometime within the following week.
From ground level, the altered patch of lawn is difficult to pick out from the surrounding grass. Seen from above, however, especially in wide aerial shots used by major news outlets, the message becomes far more obvious.
What may seem harmless at first has developed a much darker association since Trump began his second term. The number sequence ‘8647’ is widely interpreted by Trump allies and federal authorities as a hostile slogan directed at the president, with ‘47’ understood as a reference to Trump being the 47th president of the United States.
The ‘86’ element comes from a widely used restaurant shorthand meaning an item is unavailable or no longer being served.
It has also sometimes been used more broadly to mean getting rid of someone or something, though that interpretation remains politically contentious. Supporters of the slogan have argued it can be read as a call to remove Trump from office rather than a literal threat, while administration officials have treated it as potentially violent language.
The phrase has become far better known in recent months because of a separate legal and political fight involving former FBI Director James Comey. In late April 2026, federal prosecutors charged Comey over a social media post showing seashells arranged to form ‘86 47’, alleging that it communicated a threat against Trump.
Because there have been multiple attempts on Trump’s life in recent years, officials are treating any perceived threat with seriousness. The slogan has also appeared on flags, shirts and other protest material, and a recent court fight in Washington examined whether displaying ‘8647’ in a permitted demonstration amounted to protected political speech.
CNN reported that both the Secret Service and the FBI referred questions to the US Park Police, which is now leading the investigation. Other reports said emergency crews and National Guard personnel were also seen near the scene on Thursday as authorities examined the area.
A Park Police spokesperson said investigators have not yet determined what caused the discoloration in the grass, though samples have already been collected for analysis.
That means officials are still trying to establish whether the numbers were physically etched into the turf, chemically burned into the lawn, or created some other way. At this stage, no suspect has been publicly identified.
A spokesperson for the Department of Interior, which oversees the National Mall, called the markings ‘deranged vandalism’ and said they would ‘not be tolerated’.
“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 spokesperson said.