Giant ‘8647' numbers appear on National Mall grass
Someone marked “8647” in large numbers on the National Mall Thursday — a phrase that’s been used by opponents of President Donald Trump.
The U.S. Park Police said it responded to the Mall about 11:30 a.m. Thursday to a tracing of the numbers “8647” on the grass of the west lawn, large enough to be photographed from the top of the Washington Monument.
Photos on Getty Images, taken by a Reuters photographer and video from an EarthCam camera stationed atop the Washington Monument showed the numbers Thursday. A clear “8” and “7”, alongside a fainter “6” and a barely visible “4,” can be seen in the grass. The numbers appear as brown spots in the lawn, contrasting with the green grass around them.
The Trump administration has previously said those numbers amount to a threat against the 47th president.
Reuters was first to report the markings on the National Mall.
It’s not yet clear how the markings were made.
“The cause of the discoloration has not yet been determined,” Park Police said in a statement. “Grass samples have been collected for testing. The investigation is ongoing.”
The U.S. Department of the Interior, the agency that manages the U.S. Park Police and national parks like the National Mall, called the vandalism “deranged” in a statement to NBC News.
“The deranged vandalism on our National Mall will not be tolerated,” the statement reads. “Any threat against the President is taken very seriously by the Department, and our U.S. Park Police will investigate this incident and hold those responsible accountable.”
“8647” is a phrase used by some opponents of Trump to protest his second administration. 86 has long been used in the American hospitality and restaurant industries to mean to “get rid of” something, while 47 refers to Trump’s position as the 47th U.S. president.
The series of numbers received significant attention after former FBI director James Comey was indicted on charges of threats against Trump for posting a photo to social media of seashells arranged in the numbers.
It’s not yet clear who has been tracing those same numbers in the National Mall grass, or whether it is an individual or a group.
If the Trump administration decides to prosecute the markings on the National Mall as vandalism or a threat against Trump, those charges would come out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
That office declined to comment to NBC Washington on Thursday afternoon.
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