Opinion: Let’s ’86’ the idea that hospitality term is a threat to assassinate someone

Last week, former FBI Director James Comey was walking along a beach and noticed that a creative soul had used seashells to spell out “86 47.”

Tickled by the sentiment of the political message, Comey snapped a picture and shared it via Instagram, only to be met by a firestorm of controversy and charges that he was suggesting violence or assassination of the 47th president, one Donald J. Trump, who fired Comey in his first administration.

In no way, shape, or form does the slang use of “86” commonly mean any sort of violence. In the hospitality industry of bars and restaurants, it means either the business has run out of a menu item or drink, or it means that an obnoxious (usually drunk) customer should be shown the door and asked not to come back.

In the military or intelligence communities, “86” is commonly used to refer to something that’s no longer in stock, or that a mission has been cancelled. 

For his part, Comey has said he didn’t understand that some people connect 86 with a call for violence, and has taken the Instagram image down.

Ironically enough, during the 2024 presidential campaign, there were T-shirts and bumper stickers that said 86 46, meaning Joe Biden as the 46th president. The common assumption of 86 46 back then was that Biden should be impeached. A Google search does not bring up concerns that it called for Biden’s assassination. 

Yet Trump and other Republicans are calling for Comey to be investigated and prosecuted for threatening Trump with violence or assassination.

I am waiting for an intrepid reporter to ask about the double standard surrounding the slang use of “86”.

Editor’s note: This opinion column first appeared on the Colorado Times Recorder website.