Elon Musk accuses ex-FBI chief James Comey of ‘advocating Trump's murder’ in cryptic '8647' post

Elon Musk has accused former FBI Director James Comey of “advocating murder” of Donald Trump after a now-deleted Instagram post by Comey sparked outrage among the US president’s supporters.

The Tesla and X owner called it a “serious crime” after Comey posted a photo of seashells arranged to form the number “8647” — a sequence Trump allies interpret as a veiled threat.



“Advocating murder of the President is a serious crime,” Musk wrote in response to a flurry of reactions, including one from Donald Trump Jr., who alleged the post was a call to assassinate his father.

“Just James Comey casually calling for my dad to be murdered. This is who the Dem-Media worships. Demented!!!!” Trump Jr. posted on X.

What '8647' allegedly means

In American slang, “86” can imply getting rid of someone or something — often with violent undertones. Trump supporters claim that the “47” refers to Trump’s bid to return to the White House as the 47th president. Together, they say “8647” is a coded message to “eliminate” Trump.

The post, captioned “Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” drew swift condemnation from conservative activists like Laura Loomer and prompted FBI Director Kash Patel to confirm that the agency is in touch with the Secret Service over the matter.

Comey deletes post, issues clarification

In a follow-up post, Comey dismissed the accusations and said he had no knowledge of the number’s supposed meaning.

“I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk… I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took down the post,” he wrote.

The episode adds yet another flashpoint in the deepening feud between Trump and his critics — with even vague symbolism now likely capable of setting off political firestorms.