In A 'FAFO' Post, Elon Musk Praises Team Trump's Indictment Of Ex-FBI Director James Comey

US President Donald Trump's meeting with Tesla CEO Elon Musk at conservative activist Charlie Kirk's memorial seems to have brought a thaw in icy ties between the two former buddies. Days after the memorial, the billionaire industrialist posted an AI-generated photo of Trump, writing the word 'FAFO' on a beach. The full form of the acronym is "F**k Around and Find Out"-- a warning that reckless or provocative actions can lead to negative consequences.

Musk captioned the post-- "Cool shell formation found on beach walk."

The post appears to be a nod to the Trump administration's punitive action against former FBI director James Comey, who posted a photo of shells forming "8647" a few months back. Comey had captioned the photo, "Cool shell formation on my beach walk."

Cool shell formation found on beach walk pic.twitter.com/VuouLGFG0m

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 26, 2025

The post soon courted controversy, with internet users interpreting "86" in the picture as slang for "eliminate" and "47" as Trump -- the 47th president of the United States.

Team Trump Indicts Comey

On Thursday, Comey was charged with lying to Congress in a criminal case filed days after Trump appeared to urge his attorney general to prosecute the former FBI director and other perceived political enemies. The indictment makes Comey the first former senior government official involved in one of Trump's chief grievances, the long-concluded investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, to face prosecution. 

Trump has for years derided that investigation as a "hoax" and a "witch hunt" despite multiple government reviews showing Moscow interfered on behalf of the Republican's campaign, and has made clear his desire for retribution.

The criminal case is likely to deepen concerns that the Justice Department under Attorney General Pam Bondi is being weaponised in pursuit of investigations and now prosecutions of public figures the president regards as his political enemies. It was filed as the White House has taken steps to exert influence in unprecedented ways on the department, blurring the line between law and politics at an agency where independence in prosecutorial decision-making is a foundational principle.

Trump has hailed the indictment as "JUSTICE FOR AMERICA!" 

Comey was fired months into Trump's first administration and, since then, has remained a top target for Trump supporters seeking retaliation related to the Russia investigation. He was singled out by name in a Saturday social media post in which Trump appeared to appeal directly to Bondi to bring charges against Comey and complained that Justice Department investigations into his foes had not resulted in criminal cases.

"We can't delay any longer, it's killing our reputation and credibility," Trump wrote, referencing the fact that he himself had been indicted and impeached multiple times. "JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!"

Trump's 'FAFO' History

Although the acronym came into being well before Trump's inauguration, it has been heard with increasing frequency in the White House conversations.

President Trump first used the acronym in late January during his standoff with Colombia over migrant planes. He posted an AI-generated picture of himself in a fedora hat alongside the words FAFO. 

Musk, who was Trump's close aide at the time, re-posted the picture with the caption, "This is awesome."

Since then, Musk has used the acronym multiple times in his own posts on social media. On April 8, he claimed that the alleged "financers" of the attacks against Tesla "will go to prison". In another post, he called it "FAFO time".

Trump-Musk Reunion

Months after their very public fallout, Trump and his former 'first buddy', Musk, reunited at a memorial event for Charlie Kirk on Sunday. Trump was seen sitting side-by-side with his once-trusted billionaire advisor in the stands of a stadium in Glendale, Arizona, where tens of thousands had gathered to pay tribute to Kirk, who was shot dead on September 10 at a Utah university campus.