A “deranged” vandal scrawled a giant anti-Trump message declaring “8647” in the grass at the National Mall in Washington, DC — a coded slogan officials have said encourages violence against the president.
The string of numbers, likely meant to be viewed from above, appeared as dead brown grass in a large chunk of lawn just east of the World War II Memorial Thursday.
The term “8647″ references the restaurant slang “86”— meaning to get rid of something — along with Trump as the 47th US president.
Trump allies and the US Department of Justice have said the political slogan should be interpreted as a call to violence — while Trump opponents have insisted it’s simply a call to expel the president from office.
A spokesperson for the Department of Interior, which manages the National Mall, on Thursday said the message was “deranged vandalism” and “will not be tolerated.”
Officials responded to the vandalism Thursday and removed some of the numbers, according to an aerial-view photo.
The incident came just days before crowds were expected to flock to America’s front lawn to celebrate Trump’s birthday with a UFC match at the White House Sunday.
The National Mall is also set to be the scene for events celebrating the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence in coming weeks.
In April, Former FBI Director James Comey turned himself in to federal authorities after a grand jury indicted him on charges of threatening to kill President Trump in a social media post featuring “8647” written in seashells last year.
“It’s a mob term for ‘kill him’,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office at the time. “They say, ’86 the son of a gun.’”
It was unclear how the vandal created the numbers in the grass.
Reps for the US National Park Service and Park Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday. The White House also did not immediately respond.
With Post wires
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