Brandon Herrera reportedly loaned his campaign $50,000 in December, even though he listed a salary of $84,000 in a federal financial filing. Credit: X / @TheAKGuy

As if the administration forming around Donald Trump wasn’t bizarre enough, gun-loving YouTuber and failed congressional candidate Brandon Herrera wants to lead its Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Herrera, a San Antonio resident known online as the “AK-Guy,” this week fired off a tweet to promote himself as a possible pick to lead the agency.

“The ATF hasn’t had a director that actually understands the firearms industry or been a part of the community it’s responsible for regulating since its founding,” Herrera tweeted Monday. “We have the power to change that.”

He tried to throw his hat into the ring once again with a followup tweet on Wednesday.

“I know I make a lot of jokes, but let me be perfectly clear: I am perfectly willing and able to serve in any capacity I can to help Donald Trump drain the swamp that is the ATF,” he said.

While current ATF Director Steve Dettelbach was a U.S. attorney and white-collar crime investigator before taking the role in 2022, Herrera’s primary qualification seems to be that he’s pulled in 3.7 million YouTube subscribers by reviewing guns.

Earlier this year, Herrera narrowly lost a primary bid to oust incumbent U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales. Gonzales, a Republican, represents Texas’ 23rd District, which includes a swath of San Antonio along with much of the U.S.-Mexico border.

So, where did Herrera get the idea to pursue the role of ATF director? Robert F. Kennedy Jr., of course.

In a Wednesday YouTube video, Herrera told viewers that the Nominees for the People website, a crowdsourcing platform run by RFK Jr. prompted him to chase the job. The forum allows people to nominate and vote on who they want to be in charge of government agencies under Trump.

“I don’t know what the actual likelihood of something like this happening is, but my God, this would be one of the most legendary appointments Donald Trump could ever make — and one of the funniest,” Herrera said in the clip. “There’s nothing i’d rather see more than the headquarters of the ATF turned into a fucking Spirit Halloween.”

Of course, Herrera is no stranger to headline-grabbing antics.

Herrera’s congressional run was mired in controversy over content posted on his YouTube channel. Video surfaced showing him making fun of veteran suicides, marching to a Nazi propaganda song and mocking the appearance of Donald Trump’s son Barron.

The Herrera campaign also came under scrutiny of the Federal Election Commission, which questioned the accuracy of employment and occupational-status information provided about its donors.

If Herrera were to be appointed ATF director, he would join a clown car of loyalists lining up to serve in the administration.

So far this week, Trump nominated Texas-based billionaire Elon Musk and pharmaceutical businessman Vivek Ramaswamy as co-chairs of the fictional Department of Government Efficiency.

Trump also nominated U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz — the subject of an ethics probe into allegations of sex trafficking, sexual misconduct and drug use — to serve as attorney general, Fox New host Pete Hegseth to serve as defense secretary and Kennedy to serve as Health and Human Services secretary.

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This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 5, 2024.

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,...