Trump says former FBI director James Comey knew ‘8647’ meant calling for his assassination
Donald Trump has accused former FBI director James Comey of calling for his assassination after Comey posted a since-deleted Instagram post of seashells spelling out the numbers “8647”.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said of Comey:
He knew exactly what that meant. A child would know what that meant. If you were the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant – that meant assassination. It says it loud and clear.
Now, he wasn’t very competent, but he was competent enough to know what that meant. And he did for a reason.
Trump added:
He’s calling for the assassination of the president.
Trump said he wasn’t going to take a position on what was going to happen to Comey, saying that was up to attorney general Pam Bondi.
Comey’s post triggered outrage among the president’s Maga base online, who have interpreted the message as an endorsement of violence against Trump, who survived an attempt on his life at a campaign event in Pennsylvania last year. Comey later said he was unaware of the potential interpretation and does not condone violence of any kind.
He wrote in an updated post:
I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. 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 the post down.
The number 86 can often refer to throwing something out, while 47 refers to Trump’s current term in office as the 47th president. According to online publication Distractify, “8647” was originally meant as a form of silent resistance to Trump and his policies. Others have suggested it could be a call for impeachment.
Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem said yesterday evening evening that Comey’s post was being investigated as a “threat” and accused him of calling for the president’s assassination. Director of national intelligence Tulsi Gubbard accused Comey of “issuing a hit” on Trump and said he should be “put behind bars”.
Key events
Trump pushes GOP ‘grandstanders’ to unite behind tax bill
Donald Trump has called on fellow Republicans to pass his “one, big beautiful” tax bill, calling out “grandstanders” as lawmakers seek to advance the legislation amid spending cut demands from hardline conservatives.
He wrote on his Truth Social platform:
Republicans MUST UNITE behind, “THE ONE, BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL!” Not only does it cut Taxes for ALL Americans, but it will kick millions of Illegal Aliens off of Medicaid to PROTECT it for those who are the ones in real need. The Country will suffer greatly without this Legislation, with their Taxes going up 65%. It will be blamed on the Democrats, but that doesn’t help our Voters. We don’t need “GRANDSTANDERS” in the Republican Party. STOP TALKING, AND GET IT DONE! It is time to fix the MESS that Biden and the Democrats gave us. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
The megabill is on thin ice following a surprise holdout from GOP conservative hardliners who are threatening to vote no on a key budget vote this morning unless leaders agree to speed up the start of new work requirements for Medicaid – which would drive up savings but also coverage losses.
Trump says former FBI director James Comey knew ‘8647’ meant calling for his assassination
Donald Trump has accused former FBI director James Comey of calling for his assassination after Comey posted a since-deleted Instagram post of seashells spelling out the numbers “8647”.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said of Comey:
He knew exactly what that meant. A child would know what that meant. If you were the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant – that meant assassination. It says it loud and clear.
Now, he wasn’t very competent, but he was competent enough to know what that meant. And he did for a reason.
Trump added:
He’s calling for the assassination of the president.
Trump said he wasn’t going to take a position on what was going to happen to Comey, saying that was up to attorney general Pam Bondi.
Comey’s post triggered outrage among the president’s Maga base online, who have interpreted the message as an endorsement of violence against Trump, who survived an attempt on his life at a campaign event in Pennsylvania last year. Comey later said he was unaware of the potential interpretation and does not condone violence of any kind.
He wrote in an updated post:
I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. 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 the post down.
The number 86 can often refer to throwing something out, while 47 refers to Trump’s current term in office as the 47th president. According to online publication Distractify, “8647” was originally meant as a form of silent resistance to Trump and his policies. Others have suggested it could be a call for impeachment.
Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem said yesterday evening evening that Comey’s post was being investigated as a “threat” and accused him of calling for the president’s assassination. Director of national intelligence Tulsi Gubbard accused Comey of “issuing a hit” on Trump and said he should be “put behind bars”.
Trump megabill on thin ice after GOP holdouts threaten key budget committee vote
Ahead of a key vote at the budget committee today, Steve Scalise, the House majority leader, has told Punchbowl News he’s feeling “really good” about the votes and is meeting with budget holdouts. “We’re going to keep talking through today but we’re also going to keep moving this bill forward,” he said.
A surprise revolt from conservative hardliners is threatening to derail the vote on the party-line megabill, endangering speaker Mike Johnson’s ambitious Memorial Day deadline for passage through the House. Politico reports that multiple committee members Chip Roy, Ralph Norman, Andrew Clyde, Josh Brecheen, Glenn Grothman – said they’d vote no or wouldn’t commit to yes. “That forced leaders to scramble to assuage their concerns, possibly by speeding up the start of new Medicaid work requirements, which would drive up savings but also coverage losses,” writes Politico. “The holdouts also wanted speedier ends to clean-energy tax credits. And they’re frustrated that the CBO hasn’t yet cost-scored the energy and commerce committee’s part of the bill.”
“And it’s not just the right flank: Moderate members told GOP leaders they wanted changes to the Medicaid and food aid costs due to be foisted onto states — and the removal of a ban on legal immigrants getting food aid. Then there’s the ongoing debate over the state and local tax deduction, which will likely extend through the weekend, Bloomberg reports.”
Kristi Noem reportedly supportive of pitch for new reality tv show where immigrants compete for US citizenship
Department of Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem is apparently supportive of a pitch for a new reality tv show that would pit immigrants against each other to win fast-tracked US citizenship, The Daily Mail reports. Yes, you read that correctly.
According to the Mail, in a 35-page pitch comes from a producer for Duck Dynasty, and is proposed to be called The American. “Along the way, we will be reminded what it means to be American – through the eyes of the people who want it most,” reads the pitch.
According to the pitch, contestants from various backgrounds and countries would arrive at Ellis Island in New York, greeted by the host – a “famous naturalized American” – and proceed to ride around the country by train to compete in regional specific “cultural” challenges, such as collecting gold from mines in San Francisco and assembling a car in Detroit. The winner would be sworn in as an American citizen on the steps of the US Capitol.
Tricia McLaughlin, the top spokesperson for DHS, acknowledged that agency staff are reviewing this pitch and had a call with the producer last week. She insisted Noem is yet to be briefed on the initiative. However, The Daily Mail says it has confirmed that Noem supports the project and wants to proceed. And McLaughlin said: “I think it’s a good idea.”
At the same time, sources told The Daily Mail of concern among some in the department about the possible optics of turning the plight of immigrants into a reality game show. I’m glad someone has said it. You can read all the bonkers details here.
Trump says US will set tariff rates for some of its trading partners
Richard Partington
Donald Trump has said the US will send letters to some of its trading partners to unilaterally impose new tariff rates, suggesting that Washington lacks the capacity to reach individual trade deals.
Highlighting the challenge for the White House to negotiate deals with hundreds of countries at once, Trump said it was “not possible to meet the number of people that want to see us”.
Speaking at a meeting with business leaders in the United Arab Emirates on the president’s tour of the Gulf, he said:
We have, at the same time, 150 countries that want to make a deal, but you’re not able to see that many countries.
The president said that his treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, and commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, would be “sending letters out essentially telling” some of Washington’s trading partners what tariff rates would be imposed on their goods exports to the US market.
“At a certain point over the next two three weeks, I think Scott and Howard will be sending letters out essentially telling people – it will be very fair – but we’ll be telling people what they’ll be paying to do business in the United States,” he said.
Trump’s comments expose the difficulty of the task the president set for his administration after imposing sweeping border taxes on goods imports from all of the US’s trading partners on his 2 April so-called “liberation day”.
Washington has withdrawn some of its toughest measures after a backlash in the bond markets, including pausing so-called “reciprocal tariff” rates on many trading partners, including the EU, striking a trade deal to lower tariffs with the UK, and agreeing a 90-day pause with China.
Trump urges Iran to move quickly on nuclear deal or “something bad will happen”
Also on Iran, AFP reports that Trump said earlier that Tehran should make a quick decision on an American proposal for a nuclear deal or “something bad will happen”.
Speaking in Abu Dhabi as he finished his Gulf tour, Trump said his administration had handed Iran a proposal for a agreement, adding that “they know they have to move quickly or something bad is going to happen”.
Trump says Iran wants to trade with US
Donald Trump has said that Iran wants to trade with the United States, according to excerpts from an interview with Fox News.
“Iran wants to trade with us, OK? If you can believe that I’m OK with that. I’m using trade to settle scores and to make peace,” Trump said in the interview conducted before he left Abu Dhabi after a four-day Middle East tour.
“But I’ve told Iran, we make a deal. You’re going to be really – you’re going to be very happy,” said Trump, who has been pushing Iran on a nuclear deal.
US government records reveal Latin American leaders have spent millions hiring Washington’s top lobbyists to push for a laundry list of requests – from free-trade deals, security assistance and energy investments – heard by the Trump administration, according to an analysis by the Guardian and The Quincy Institute.
Since the lead-up to Donald Trump’s election as president in November 2024, Department of Justice records show that at least 10 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have registered their top officials and envoys as foreign principals under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (Fara). Fara aims to promote transparency by requiring those working as foreign agents to disclose their activities and compensation.
“Under Trump, we’ve seen a more directly transactional approach to influencing government,” said Jake Johnston, director of international policy at the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research (Cerp). “The very personal relationships that have developed with the far right in Latin America have given direct access to the White House. I wouldn’t say this influence peddling is unprecedented, but the magnitude is.”
El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, has arguably seen the greatest return to his three-year, $1.5m lobbying spree. Since February, Bukele has scored an Oval Office meeting with Trump, a nuclear energy deal, US assurance to help expand his country’s notorious mega-prison and an upgraded travel safety rating from the state department.
US to impose new tariffs on roughly 150 countries – reports
Donald Trump has said the US will be sending letters over the next two to three weeks to set out new tariffs with about 150 countries.
CBS News’s Weijia Jiang reported on X that the letters will alert countries how much they will have to pay, while “negotiations for potential new trade deals continue for now”.
It comes as the Financial Times reports:
Trump said that, while “150 countries” wanted to agree deals, “it’s not possible to meet the number of people that want to see us”. The Trump administration has scaled back many of the tariffs Trump announced on his so-called liberation day on April 2 to 10 per cent for many of its trading partners for a 90-day period.
It has also struck a deal with the UK this month to provide tariff relief for products such as steel and cars, as well as jointly announcing duty reductions with China this week. In addition, Washington has been carrying out negotiations with the EU, Japan, India and other countries.
This is a developing news line and we will bring you more as we get it.
Trump wants to meet Putin ‘as soon as we can set it up’
US president Donald Trump has said wants to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin “as soon as we can set it up”, AFP is reporting.
It comes as the Kremlin said on Friday that a meeting between Putin and Trump was essential but required considerable advance preparation and had to yield results when it happened.
Lauren Gambino
David Hogg believes the Democratic party not only needs better messengers – it needs stronger fighters.
“The base of the party, they just want us to do anything,” the 25-year-old Florida activist and Democratic National Committee (DNC) vice-chair said in an interview last week. “They feel alone, they feel isolated, they feel unheard, and they feel like they’re not being fought for.”
Frustrated by what he sees as an entrenched establishment dominated by a culture of “seniority politics”, Hogg is urging Democrats to embrace growing calls for generational change. His pitch is competitive primaries, which he argues are a “healthy” way to inject new energy into a party desperately seeking momentum after last year’s demoralizing losses swept Democrats from power in Washington.
Many Democrats – especially younger members of the party, such as Hogg – are urging their leaders to adopt a more combative posture toward Donald Trump, emboldened by a building resistance to the president’s brazen defiance of constitutional norms. Yet support for the party has fallen to record-lows. A recent Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found that nearly 70% of Americans view the Democratic party as out of touch “with the concerns of most people” – a higher share than said the same of either Trump or the Republican party.
“We need to dramatically change,” Hogg said. “The fact that we spent $2bn last election cycle and still lost to a convicted felon who attempted to overthrow our government – and despite the fact that he has crashed our economy, despite the fact that he has disappeared people – our approvals remain where they are is a serious indictment of our party.”
President Donald Trump said on Friday he was returning to Washington after wrapping up his Gulf tour.
“Let’s see what happens with Russia and Ukraine,” he said, referring to Russia-Ukraine talks taking place in Turkey.
Trump said he will meet Russian president Vladimir Putin “as soon as we can set it up”.
James Comey investigated over seashell photo claimed to be ‘threat’ against Trump
Lauren Gambino
A photo of seashells posted on Instagram by the former FBI director James Comey is now being investigated by the US Secret Service, after the US homeland security secretary Kristi Noem said it constituted a “threat” against Donald Trump.
On Thursday, Comey posted a photo of seashells forming the message “8647”, with a caption that read: “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”
Trump’s supporters have interpreted the message as an endorsement of violence against Trump – the 47th president. There is more debate around the use of 86, a slang term often used in restaurants to mean getting rid of or throwing something out, and which, according to Merriam-Webster, has been used more recently, albeit sparingly, to mean “to kill”.
Comey later took down his post, saying in a statement that he was unaware of the seashells’ potential meaning and saying that he does not condone violence of any kind.
“I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message,” Comey said in a statement. “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 the post down.”
A spokesperson for the Secret Service confirmed the agency was “aware of the incident” and said it would “vigorously investigate” any potential threat, but did not offer further details.
Trump agenda hits speed bump in US Congress as hardliners revolt
A Republican push to advance US president Donald Trump’s sweeping tax bill through Congress appeared to hit a roadblock on Thursday, as hardline conservatives demanded deeper cuts to Medicaid in exchange for their support in a key procedural vote.
House budget committee chair Jodey Arrington warned that the vote, planned for Friday, could be delayed due to opposition to the measure, which could add trillions to the nation’s $36.2tn in debt over the next decade, Reuters reported.
“There are concerns about having to get more information, which would potentially delay this to next week,” Arrington, of Texas, told reporters.
He later issued a statement saying he was confident that Republicans on his committee would advance the legislation, even though at least four hardliners had threatened to block it. There was no indication late on Thursday that their positions had changed.
Four “no” votes would be enough to stop the measure from advancing, given Republicans’ 21-16 majority on the committee.
House of Representatives speaker Mike Johnson insisted that the legislation was still on track for a floor vote next week, while other Republican leaders said disagreements between warring party factions had dwindled to a handful of issues.
“This is always what happens when you have a big bill like this. There’s always final details to work out, all the way up until the last minute, so we’re going to keep working,” House majority leader Steve Scalise told reporters.
The legislation would extend tax cuts passed during Trump’s first term. Congress’ bipartisan Joint Tax Committee estimates the tax cuts would cost $3.72tn over a decade.
Trump has highlighted measures including lifting taxes on tips and overtime that Republicans say would boost working class Americans, while critics say the bill will offer more benefits to the wealthy.
Trump announces more than $200bn of deals between US and UAE
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. I’m Tom Ambrose and will be bringing you the latest news lines over the next few hours.
We begin with news that Donald Trump has announced deals totaling more than $200bn between the United States and the United Arab Emirates, including a $14.5bn commitment among Boeing, GE Aerospace and Etihad Airways, as he pledged to strengthen ties between the US and the Gulf state during a multiday trip to the Middle East.
The White House said on Thursday that Boeing and GE had received a commitment from Etihad Airways to invest $14.5bn to buy 28 US-made Boeing 787 and 777X aircraft powered by GE engines.
“With the inclusion of the next-generation 777X in its fleet plan, the investment deepens the longstanding commercial aviation partnership between the UAE and the United States, fueling American manufacturing, driving exports,” the White House said.
Antonoaldo Neves, the CEO of Etihad, said last month that the airline planned to add 20 to 22 new planes to its fleet of roughly 100 aircraft this year, as it aims to expand to more than 170 planes by 2030 and boost Abu Dhabi’s economic diversification strategy.
Etihad, which is owned by Abu Dhabi’s $225bn wealth fund ADQ, has been through a multiyear restructuring and management shake-up, but has expanded under Neves.
He said that 10 of the new aircraft this year would be Airbus A321LRs, which the carrier launched on Monday and will start operating in August. The remainder include six Airbus A350s and four Boeing 787s.
In other news:
-
A Republican effort to advance President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax bill hit a setback today, as hardline conservatives demanded larger Medicaid cuts in exchange for their support in a procedural vote. House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington, a Republican from Texas, said that the vote, scheduled for Friday, could be delayed amid internal opposition.
-
The Trump administration is planning to drop routine Covid-19 vaccine recommendations for pregnant women, children, and teenagers, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Department of Health and Human Services, led by secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, is expected to make the change as it introduces a new vaccine approval framework. The timing of the announcement is unclear but could come within days.
-
Donald Trump announced deals totaling over $200bn between the United States and the United Arab Emirates, including a $14.5bn commitment between Boeing, GE Aerospace and Etihad Airways, the White House said. The White House said Boeing and GE had received a commitment from Etihad Airways to buy 28 American-made Boeing 787 and 777X aircraft powered by GE engines.
-
Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship found no traction today at the supreme court, with justices taking issue at the attempt to sidestep the constitution. However, the conservative majority seemed open to limiting district judges’ ability to issue broad injunctions against federal policies.
-
Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized Donald Trump for calling America “stupid” as she joined hundreds of protestors outside the supreme court. Trump had earlier called the US “stupid” for upholding the 14th amendment. Pelosi said: “No Mr President, America isn’t stupid. It’s the Constitution of the United States which all of us in elective office take an oath to protect and defend.” She added: “This is about birthright, it’s about citizenship, it’s about due process.”
-
Trump arrived in the UAE for day three of his Middle East tour aimed at drumming up investment in the US and securing lucrative economic deals with the Gulf nations. He finished the day walking out of the presidential palace in Abu Dhabi with UAE President Sheik Mohammed after dinner.
-
Trump said he will “probably” return to Washington on Friday after a tour of three Gulf countries, although he said his destination is unknown as of yet. Trump earlier had hinted that he could stop in Istanbul for talks on Ukraine.
-
His secretary of state Marco Rubio echoed Trump’s earlier remarks that the only way a breakthrough will happen in the efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine would be through direct talks between the US president and Vladimir Putin after Moscow sent a second-tier team to talks taking place in Turkey. Rubio said he would travel to Istanbul for meetings on Friday with Turkey’s foreign minister Hakan Fidan and a Ukrainian delegation, but said he did not have high expectations for the talks.
-
The Trump administration said it will audit some $15bn in grants to power grid and manufacturing supply chain projects awarded during the Biden administration.
