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ATF or AFT? Joe Biden trolled over gaffe during gun control speech as he nominates David Chipman as bureau head

Biden mistakenly referred to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) as the AFT on two occasions and conservatives had a field day on Twitter

Another day, another gaffe. President Joe Biden is once again being mocked online after mistakenly referring to a federal bureau as the AFT, instead of the ATF, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. The slip-up came as Biden announced David Chipman as the new head of the bureau, in charge of alcohol, tobacco and firearms. 

The president said, "Today, I'm proud to nominate David Chipman to serve as the director of the AFT", before adding, "David knows the AFT well." Chipman's nomination will have to be confirmed by the Senate before he takes on the role. If confirmed, he would be the first full-time director of the bureau in six years. Former president Donald Trump never bothered to nominate a full-time director, and instead had the bureau's deputy director Thomas Brandon serve as acting director. Then in 2019, Regina Lombardo became the acting director. 

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Biden's well-known gaffes have made him a popular target for conservatives on social media and this instance was no different. Within minutes, the president was trolled by a large number of social media users. Leading the charge, the National Rifle Association tweeted, "Someone tell Biden it is "ATF" – not "AFT"" along with a laughing emoji.

Newsmax host Benny Johnson said, "We are doomed". Another said, "got a new agency called the AFT? what a dumb ass!! Yall voted for him, enjoy." Author and comedian Tim Young claimed, "If Biden can call the ATF the "AFT," he's not mentally sound enough to be signing ANY executive orders." Another person tweeted, "It´s the ATF you mumbling pisoshito!!!" Another tagged the ATF in a tweet and said, "@ATFHQ ha ha ha y’all are so fired... @POTUS just started a new agency “AFT”."

One user joked, "@JoeBiden hey ding dong it’s the ATF not AFT ???? Are you ok? Get some rest take a nap gramps." Another wrote, "I sure hope congress funds the “AFT” so they can do whatever it was Biden mumbled about." Another person joked, "Yea, it's the rear of the boat, which is where all my rifles were when it sank."

There were also plenty of jokes about what the acronym stood for. Many on Twitter said it stood for 'Americans For Trump', while others joked about the 'American Federation of Teachers'. In the past, Biden has defended his gaffes saying he struggles with stuttering. However, many have trolled him claiming that his gaffes are not due to stuttering but dementia, a claim made popular by Trump on the 2020 campaign trail. The former president even dubbed Biden 'Dementia Joe'. 

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) is the federal agency within the Department of Justice responsible for the regulation and all cases related to guns, explosives, alcohol and tobacco products. Todd Jones was the last permanent director when he was nominated by former president Barack Obama in 2011 and served until 2015. In 2006, the NRA successfully lobbied to have ATF directors confirmed by the Senate, leading to clashes between the Republicans and Democrats over candidates for the job. 

These remarks were made by the Internet and individual organizations, MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and nor does it support these claims being made on the Internet.