The View Challenges Alina Habba on Meaning of '86' After Comey Indictment

The hosts of ABC’s The View pushed back against former President Donald Trump’s legal counsel, Alina Habba, during a Wednesday segment, after she insisted the slang term “86” means “to kill.” The hosts clarified that the term does not carry that meaning, with co-host Sunny Hostin directly telling Habba,

“The dictionary disagrees with you.”

Habba’s remarks came amid the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, who was charged this week for, among other allegations, threatening the life of the president in a now-deleted Instagram post. The image depicted seashells arranged on a beach to spell “8647.”

During her appearance on The View, Habba repeated claims made by other pro-Trump figures, asserting that “86” signifies “kill.”

Sunny Hostin responded firmly, stating,

“The dictionary disagrees with you on that.”

According to Merriam-Webster, the term “86” is defined as a slang expression meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of,” or “to refuse service to.” Co-host Joy Behar supported Hostin’s rebuttal, explaining that “86” has long been used in restaurant settings to indicate removing an item from the menu or tossing it out.

Behar humorously asked Habba,

“Do they mean to kill the meat?”

She also highlighted that Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz has previously used the term “86” multiple times without facing consequences. Habba countered by arguing that context matters, before redirecting the conversation to late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.

Hostin did not let the topic drop, pointing out that former President Trump had once posted on social media,

The only good Democrat is a dead Democrat.

Habba responded,

“I haven’t seen that post.”

Watch the full exchange from The View below:

@AlinaHabba, former counselor to Pres. Trump, defends the Justice Department's indictment against James Comey over an Instagram post that he has since deleted: "He is a former FBI director, he knows what '8647' meant — there's no question about it."