Brandon “AK Guy” Herrera and Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz clasp hands at a San Antonio rally on Thursday. Credit: Michael Karlis

Right-wing social media is abuzz with speculation that a San Antonio-area YouTube influencer known as the “AK Guy” is a finalist to lead President Trump’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Brandon Herrera, a YouTube gun reviewer who last year ran a failed campaign to represent Texas’ 23rd District in Congress as a Republican, initially teased the idea in November of becoming the next ATF director. However, Trump hasn’t publicly commented on his possible appointment to the position.

However, this week, theories percolated on right-wing social media accounts that Herrera, along with venture capitalist Blake Masters, are finalists for to lead the ATF.

The rumor was sparked by a screenshot of a right-wing newsletter tweeted out by the account @AvoidinBabylon.

News website Semafor reported in December that Masters, who ran a failed U.S. Senate campaign in Arizona in 2022, was under consideration to lead the Trump White House’s ATF.

Herrera didn’t immediately respond to the Current’s request for comment on the new speculation.

Regardless, his gun-toting allies on social media, including UFC fighter Tim Kennedy, appear to be excited at the prospect of Herrera being in charge of the domestic law enforcement agency that oversees illegal use and trafficking of firearms.

“Texan and incredible human Brandon Herrera is being considered for ATF Director,” Kennedy wrote in a Wednesday X post. “I would love to have a man fighting for all the things that I love.”

In a poll Herrera tweeted out Thursday, 95% of the nearly 42,000 people who responded said they would prefer Herrera as ATF director over a “Former LEO,” or law enforcement officer.

It’s anyone’s guess whether Herrera, who’s never held public office or served in law enforcement is seriously being considered for the position. Indeed, his only apparently qualification is that he runs a popular YouTube channel where he reviews guns, often while slipping in controversial commentary.

During his failed bid to represent the 23rd District — which includes a portion of San Antonio along with a large swath of the U.S.-Mexico border — Herrera caught flack for poking fun at veteran suicides, marching to a Nazi propaganda song and mocking the appearance of Donald Trump’s son Barron.

Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.

Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter| Or sign up for our RSS Feed  

Related Stories

This article appears in Feb 5-18, 2025.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...