Rogan Slams Trump’s Indictment of Comey Over ‘86 47’ Seashell Photo: “Total Madness”

“This is just nuts!” Joe Rogan didn’t hold back when discussing the Trump administration’s bizarre indictment of former FBI Director James Comey over an Instagram post featuring seashells arranged to read “86 47.” On his podcast, Rogan slammed the move as a dangerous precedent that could warp the legal system’s interpretation of threats and jeopardize First Amendment rights.

Comey faces two counts from a federal grand jury in North Carolina, linked to alleged threats against President Donald Trump. The controversy ignited from a 2025 Instagram post where seashells formed the cryptic message. Prosecutors argue that “86” is slang for “get rid of,” suggesting it could be a veiled reference to Trump, the 47th president. However, Comey insists he viewed the post as political commentary, not a threat, and maintained his innocence during a court appearance.

Rogan dissected the absurdity of the charges, stating, “The problem with these guys is it sets a crazy precedent. It’s nuts! You’re going after someone for something that’s just silly. ‘86 47’ is get rid of 47... But arresting a guy for that is just insane.”

He elaborated, “If you had an AI-generated image of him dead with bullet holes, that’s one thing. But even then…” Rogan’s critique reflects his growing disillusionment with Trump, despite having endorsed him for the 2024 election. Issues like the handling of Jeffrey Epstein’s files and the war in Iran have driven a wedge between Rogan and the former president.

On Truth Social, Trump fired back, claiming, “‘86’ is a mob term for ‘kill him.’ They say 86 him! 86 47 means ‘kill President Trump.’ James Comey, who is a Dirty Cop, one of the worst, knows this full well! EIGHT MILES OUT, SIX FEET DOWN! Didn’t he also lie to the FBI about this??? I think so! President DJT.”

Rogan countered Trump’s narrative by asserting that “86” typically means firing or removing someone rather than inflicting harm. He pointed out that Comey wasn’t even serving as FBI director when the photo was posted, further weakening the prosecution's case.

While Trump and his supporters have long targeted Comey—who has been vocal in his criticism of the former president—Rogan believes this indictment lacks substantial legal grounding. “Arresting a guy for that is nuts,” he reiterated. “If the guy really was dirty, you should have something on him other than this seashell picture.”

In a separate incident last year, Comey was also pursued by the Department of Justice for allegedly lying to Congress. Those charges were brought by then-U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Lindsey Halligan. Comey denied any wrongdoing, and the case was ultimately dismissed after it was determined Halligan had exceeded her legal term limit, invalidating the prosecution.