Governor Gretchen Whitmer displayed an "86 45" sign during her TV appearance.
86 can be shorthand for killing someone.
Whitmer is encouraging assassination attempts against President Trump just weeks after someone sent a ricin-laced package to the White House. pic.twitter.com/GzvtrjH40A— Trump War Room - Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TrumpWarRoom) October 18, 2020
When I saw the tweet above I admit that I first thought it was from a parody account, but no, it's actually from the official Trump campaign response on Twitter. You might think that the Trump campaign would be telling Trump to cool it with the rhetoric against Michigan's Governor, especially after a plot to kidnap her and probably kill her was thwarted by the FBI. But that's just not how these bunch of idiots rolls, and Trump continues to double-down on her. Which is all just as well I guess, as it further pushes women away from Trump and hastens his trip back to civilian life.
Source: International Business Times
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has a small “86 45” sign in her office, and now President Donald Trump’s campaign claims she’s advocating for his assassination.
A tweet from the Trump War Room, which is an officially verified account with a bio stating that it is “managed by the #TeamTrump 2020 campaign,” sent out the message Sunday afternoon.
“Governor Gretchen Whitmer displayed an ‘86 45’ sign during her TV appearance. 86 can be shorthand for killing someone,” the tweet claims. “Whitmer is encouraging assassination attempts against President Trump just weeks after someone sent a ricin-laced package to the White House.”
The tweet included a follow-up with screenshots from Wikipedia and Urban Dictionary, two sources that can be edited by any user. (Notably, the Urban Dictionary definition included isn’t even on the first few pages of the 86 entry.)
So does 86 mean murder? Merriam-Webster Dictionary says it means “to refuse to serve (a customer),” “to get rid of” and/or “throw out.” That’s because it’s most commonly used in restaurants or bars when they want to get a disruptive patron to leave.
Mental Floss and Snopes both note that 86 can sometimes mean kill. However, most often, it means to get rid of something or someone, and it's commonly associated with restaurant lingo.
And the Chair of the Michigan GOP also got in on the foolishness, tweeting:
Governor @gretchenwhitmer has the gall to go on @MeetThePress this morning complaining about President @realDonaldTrump's rhetoric, but in the background displays a phrase which calls for the killing of President Trump! This is truly disgusting. #LeadRight #TVMI20 https://t.co/GFpA0Yzn4a
— Laura Cox (@MIGOPChair) October 18, 2020
Normal people on Twitter though wondered if it was a joke, as it was so f-ing stupid.
Normal human being, especially one who has ever worked in a bar or a restaurant: oh yeah, they’re saying get him out of office/cut him off/vote him out/impeach him
MAGAbrains: sHe iS tHrEaTeNiNg tO mUrDeR HiM
Also, this bad faith play isn’t new:https://t.co/vbeZ7NcWtv— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) October 18, 2020
Room Rater gave Whitmer a 10/10 though.
Bright and beautiful. Nothing but respect. RBG. 8645. Nice plant, too. 10/10 @GovWhitmer pic.twitter.com/b6DAiy9UKd
— Room Rater (@ratemyskyperoom) October 18, 2020