The numbers “8647” appeared in large scale on the grass of the National Mall on Thursday, June 11, only days before President Donald Trump’s birthday, prompting an investigation from the U.S. Park Police.
According to Reuters, park officials said they responded to the National Mall at around 11:30 a.m. local time to see a tracing of the numbers “8647” on the grass of the west lawn of the mall. Photos taken by Reuters from the top of the Washington Monument clearly show the numbers “8” and “7”, while the numbers “6” and “4” are more faintly visible.
“The cause of the discoloration has not yet been determined,” Park Police said in a statement to Reuters. “Grass samples have been collected for testing. The investigation is ongoing.”
The incident comes as the National Mall is set to host events celebrating the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence and only weeks before a 16-day “Great American State Fair” is set to take place at the Mall.
The numbers “8647” have been at the center of controversy in recent months. Back in April, former FBI Director James Comey was indicted for a second time for a social media post he shared in 2025.
In a since-deleted picture on Instagram, Comey posted the number 8647 formed by seashells on the beach. The post sparked outrage from members of the Trump administration at the time who painted it as a veiled threat against Trump.
Then, a federal judge on June 1 granted the Washington, DC, chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union’s request for a restraining order in a free speech lawsuit against the National Park Service after the organization alleged a U.S. Park Police officer asked a protester to take down an “8647” flag over concerns that it suggested a threat against Trump.
The chain of numbers has been interpreted by some as saying to “86” No. 47 — Trump is the 47th president.
According to Merriam-Webster, “86” is used as a colloquial term meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of,” or “to refuse service to.”
The origin of the term is debated, with one theory saying it came from when barkeeps threw disorderly guests out of a former New York bar called Chumley’s, which was located at 86 Bedford St.
Another version, cited in the book “The History and Stories of the Best Bars of New York,” was that during Prohibition, police would call the bartenders at Chumley’s to ‘86’ their patrons out the 86 Bedford door so they wouldn’t have to arrest them.
Merriam-Webster says the term came from 1930s soda-counter slang, meaning that an item was sold out, and may have originated from the term “nix,” a phrase still used by wait staff in restaurants and bars.
USA TODAY’s BrieAnna J. Frank contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.