Numbers “8647” a slogan used to oppose former President Donald Trump were visible as dead grass on the National Mall; Park Police are investigating and samples have been taken for testing.
The numbers “8647,” a phrase commonly used to signal opposition to former President Donald Trump, appeared as patches of dead grass on the National Mall on Thursday, visible in webcam images taken from the top of the Washington Monument. The markings stretch across a large portion of the Mall east of the World War II Memorial and were not seen in Getty Images photos from June 5, leaving it unclear when they first appeared. From ground level the discoloration was not easily distinguishable Thursday afternoon; witnesses reported several emergency vehicles blocking the area around 1 p.m., and the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team landed on the Mall nearby.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle told media that “anyone who engages in or endorses political violence or assassination culture must be condemned in the harshest terms possible.” The Secret Service and FBI deferred comment to the U.S. Park Police, which is handling the investigation; a law enforcement source told CNN the Secret Service will assist once a suspect is located. Park Police officials said the cause of the grass discoloration has not been determined and that samples were collected for testing. A Department of the Interior spokesperson called the markings “deranged vandalism” that “will not be tolerated.”
“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,” the spokesperson said.
