The spark: a four-digit slogan, not a death threat
The other day the number “8647”—a restaurant-slang twist (“86” = dump/boot) paired with 47 (Donald Trump’s presidential number)—went viral after former FBI director James Comey posted it on Instagram. Progressives have long used the shorthand to mean “impeach or remove the 47th president.” MAGA influencers promptly re-interpreted it as a coded call to assassinate Trump.
That fevered reading reached Washington: on Friday the U.S. Secret Service showed at my home because I too, had tweeted “8647.”
Enter Alex Jones—volume up, facts down
On his latest, likely intoxicated selfie video, Jones devoted a segment to the supposed “plot.” What followed was an expletive-laced rant that veered from name-calling to barely veiled threats. Below are verbatim excerpts (profanity partially redacted for clarity):
“One of the two little devil twins, Ed Krassenstein, came out yesterday… It’s not like the left’s calling for Trump’s death. It’s not like he got shot in the ear… You little thugs, you little bullies.”
“People sit through this and you leftist bullies’ reign of terror… We’re sick of your st*… If somebody kills Trump, we didn’t mean it—we just said 86-47. Well, if he gets killed…”*
“You better believe you’ll be held responsible… You understand, f**heads?… It’s a two-way street, punks.”*
“You little wimps think you can just mess with people all day… We’re taking back our country. You’re losing and you know it… You’re in your death throes politically.”
Why Jones’s framing collapses under its own weight
Selective outrage. MAGA personalities have sold “8646” merch for years—“86 46” meaning “impeach Biden”—without treating it as a murder threat.
Legal reality. Incitement requires a direct call to imminent violence. “Remove from office” slogans—no matter how smug—don’t qualify. What does edge toward incitement is threatening to hold political opponents “responsible” if Trump is harmed.
The intimidation playbook. Conflating “impeach” with “assassinate,” then dispatching federal agents, echoes a broader right-wing tactic: redefine language, brand dissenters as violent, and chill speech through state power.
The bigger picture
Jones’s rant isn’t just performative rage; it normalizes the idea that violence is a justified response to political slogans. Coming from a host already found liable for defamation over Sandy Hook, the stakes are higher than typical talk-radio bluster.
Meanwhile, the Secret Service visit has had a predictable Streisand-effect: #8647 is now trending even harder—and dozens of posts are resurfacing MAGA’s own “86 46” paraphernalia to highlight the double standard.
Bottom line
A four-digit meme about lawful impeachment has been spun into a pretext for threats against critics. Alex Jones’s tirade crystallizes how the online right is manufacturing grievance to excuse intimidation. But the math remains simple: 86 ≠ kill. And 8647 ≠ terrorism—unless free speech itself is now a crime.
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