The back-and-forth between President Donald Trump and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer heightened this weekend, as both Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden made swings through the state.
While Biden told a crowd in Southfield there is no better governor in the country than Whitmer, Trump spoke in front of a crowd chanting "lock her up" as he said the governor needs to re-open the state, and the schools. Notably, Michigan districts are open or closed for in-person learning based on local school administrator decisions.
"Lock 'em all up," Trump said, responding to the chant.
Later, on "Meet the Press" Sunday, Whitmer, who was the target of an alleged kidnap plot, called for an end to the fiery rhetoric. And the Trump campaign, and other supporters of the president, said the '8645' emblem on a pin resting on her desk while she spoke was a code calling for the assassination of the sitting president.
"Whitmer is encouraging assassination attempts against President Trump just weeks after someone sent a ricin-laced package to the White House," said a tweet from a verified Trump campaign account, adding, "86 can be shorthand for killing someone."
The numbers set off a debate on social media about whether they actually meant something ... and if so, what? Some thought she was trolling the president, others thought it meant nothing. To '86' something generally means to get rid of it.
Urban Dictionary says '8645' is "a sneaky way to illustrate one's support of getting rid of Trump."
Michigan Republican Party chair Laura Cox tweeted that it was "a phrase which calls for the killing of President Trump! This is truly disgusting."
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The governor has not yet weighed in on the accusation that she called for killing the president during an appearance where she called for peace, though some blated Trump to the the New York Times for the "lock her up" chant at his Michigan rally.
"She was literally just targeted," Lee Chatfield, the speaker of the Michigan House and a leading state Republican, said of Whitmer. "Let's debate differences. Let's win elections. But not that." Chatfield later cast blame at Whitmer for the numbers, possibly on a sticker, visible during her Meet the Press interview.
Chatfield tweeted, "Last night, I said the "lock her up" chant was wrong. And I believe that. Well today, the Governor encouraged more hate by having an "8645" pin. (Attack? Kill?) This doesn't help. This is wrong too. You can't have your cake and eat it too when it comes to civility and respect."
Eighty-six or 86 is American English slang, meaning "to eject or debar (a person) from premises; to reject or abandon"
— Paul van der Meer (@Paul_VanDerMeer) October 19, 2020
Killing is another one: 187. It is 8645 and not 18745. DO YOUR HOMEWORK TRUMP TEAM!!
https://t.co/usuDVYJR6O
All 86 means is to get rid of - or vote Trump out of office. If you work in the restaurant industry you will quickly learn that the term 86 is used quite frequently. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a restaurant worker that came up with 86 45.
— Future Acute Care NP (@lvadrn) October 19, 2020
