Texas man announces he's running for president after changing name to 'Literally Anybody Else'

A man has started his own US presidential campaign after making an unusual name change.

The 35-year-old from Texas has hit out at growing dissatisfaction among voters with the offerings of both the Republican and Democratic parties.

In a move which lampoons this sense of disillusionment, he changed his name to 'Literally Anybody Else'.

Incumbent Joe Biden will be running for a second term with the Democratic Party. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is the current frontrunner to take the Republican Party's nomination, despite his ongoing legal troubles.

But there is now a third option after Literally Anybody Else entered the presidential race.

In a statement on his campaign website, Else wrote: "America should not be stuck choosing between the 'King of Debt' (his self-declaration) and an 81-year old.

"Literally Anybody Else isn't a person, it's a rally cry."

Literally Anybody Else

Speaking in an interview with Texas news outlet WFAA, the US Army Veteran and seventh-grade math teacher criticised the two party system.

"People are voting for the lesser of two evils, not someone they actually believe in or support," he said.

He added: "People should have the option to vote for someone who resembles and represents them, not the lesser of two evils. I reject that."

Else, whose previous name was Dustin Ebey, is clear that he is not seriously making a shot for the White House.

Instead, his aim is to have his name underneath those of Joe Biden and Donald Trump on the ballot paper as a protest.

This will be no mean feat as he will have to submit a petition with a huge number of signatures from registered voters in Texas who didn't vote in either the Republican or Democratic presidential primaries.

In Texas alone, he needs at least 113,151 such signatures, with the number varying by state.

Literally Anybody Else

It's a tall order, but a poll from Reuters and Ipsos indicates that both prospective candidates are unpopular.

The poll indicates that 70 percent of those surveyed didn't think Biden should run for a second term, and 56 percent said Trump shouldn't have a second term.

Else is far from the only person who is concerned about the disillusionment felt by many voters in the US.

Former first lady Michelle Obama revealed that she is worried about the outcome of the 2024 election, asking the On Purpose podcast: “Are people going to vote, and why aren’t people voting?”

It comes as president Biden's response to the crisis in Gaza has sparked widespread outrage and many Americans feel the sting of rising living costs.