NJ Driver Pays The Price For Custom Trump Vanity Plate — Too Far?

A controversial vanity license plate spotted on a vehicle in New Jersey is sparking outrage online after critics pointed out that the message closely mirrors the same “8647” slogan that recently resulted in criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey.

The plate, displayed on a Subaru seen in Mercer County, read “FDT 8647” and quickly drew attention after a photo of it was posted to X. The user who shared the image wrote, “surprised the DMV approved it.”

The controversy exploded almost immediately because the “8647” phrase has become one of the most politically charged coded slogans circulating online. Conservatives argue the message is not harmless slang, but a veiled threat aimed at Donald Trump, the 47th president of the United States.

The same number sequence became national news earlier this year after Comey posted a photograph showing seashells arranged into the numbers “8647” on a beach. Federal prosecutors later indicted Comey on April 28, with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche arguing the message constituted a threat directed toward Trump.

Comey has denied wrongdoing and continues to contest the charges.

The phrase “86” is commonly used in restaurants to mean removing something from the menu or getting rid of something, according to Merriam-Webster. But many conservatives argue the phrase takes on a much darker tone when paired with “47,” which they interpret as referencing Trump’s presidency.

The debate has become part of a larger national argument over escalating political rhetoric and whether coded language targeting public figures should be treated more seriously in today’s volatile political climate. Trump supporters, in particular, have become increasingly sensitive to rhetoric they believe normalizes hostility toward the president after multiple security incidents and assassination threats in recent years.

After images of the plate spread online, outrage erupted across conservative social media. Some users demanded a federal investigation into how the plate was approved at all, while others tagged the United States Department of Justice and the White House calling for action against the owner of the vehicle.

The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission has since moved to recall the vanity plate, saying it violates state guidelines governing personalized plates. According to an MVC spokesperson, the message does not comply with state law and should not have been approved.

New Jersey is known for aggressively screening vanity plate applications. A specialized MVC review team reportedly examines requests for profanity, sexual references, violent language, racial content, hidden meanings, slang, and coded political messages. Officials also review alternate spellings, foreign-language interpretations, and urban slang dictionaries in an effort to catch offensive content before approval.

Still, officials have previously admitted the system is not perfect. In a 2023 interview, MVC representatives acknowledged that some questionable plates occasionally slip through before later being flagged by the public. In those cases, the commission retains the authority to revoke the plate after the fact.

A previously published list of rejected vanity plates from 2015 through 2022 showed the MVC denied numerous politically charged submissions, including “FJBIDEN,” “FB1DN,” “FKTRUMP,” and “FPUTN.” State officials have argued those examples show the agency attempts to apply standards evenly regardless of political affiliation.

This particular plate, however, was reportedly approved in April 2025 before becoming the center of controversy months later. Under MVC policy, once a vanity plate is revoked, the vehicle owner has 15 days to surrender it or risk suspension of the vehicle’s registration.

For many Trump supporters, the situation represents more than a bureaucratic oversight. They argue it highlights what they see as a broader cultural double standard in which anti-Trump rhetoric is too often minimized, ignored, or excused until public backlash forces authorities to respond.