Texas man changes name to Literally Anybody Else, runs for president

It’s no secret the American people are not happy about a Trump v. Biden rematch in the 2024 presidential election. An Ipsos poll found that neither candidate had more than 40% support from voters. In a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll from February, 52% of respondents said Biden is “too old” while 59% said Trump is “dangerous.” 

To drive home the point, there is now a market for bumper stickers that say “Any Functioning Adult 2024,” “Giant Meteor 2024,” or “Literally Anybody Else 2024.” 

One Texas man took that to heart and changed his name from Dustin Ebey to Literally Anybody Else and launched a campaign for president. Straight Arrow News confirmed the name change through his drivers license and his FEC filing. 

Straight Arrow News Political Correspondent Ray Bogan spoke with him about policy and strategy.

This transcript has been edited for clarity. 

Ray Bogan: Why are you running for president? 

Literally Anybody Else: There is a deep dissatisfaction held within my heart regarding the two main candidates that have been presented to us. And I was willing to bet that I wasn’t the only one that had this kind of feeling.

I had purchased the domain last year literallyanybodyelse.com with the idea of, kind of, commercializing it to make money off of that kind of sentiment. But as we got closer and closer to the election season, it became apparent that it would be another show of ineptitude. And I, myself longing for just something else, something better, if we could just have a reset button on presidential politics, that would have been wonderful. Like in 2020, I had this similar desire to just vote for literally anybody else. I find it absurd that we are always tunneled into these two choices that nobody seems to want. And yeah, there we are picking the one that we hate the least. 

I know that literally anybody else could probably run the country better than Donald Trump and Joe Biden and we deserve it. 

Ray Bogan: I read that you said in another outlet “I don’t care as much about winning the oval office but it’s important that the message gets through to the powers that be. Literally anybody else should not be as popular as it is.” So what is your ultimate goal with this if it’s not to win? How will you measure success?

Literally Anybody Else: So the goal is to win. But it’s important to approach these things with a realistic mentality. 

Yes, the odds of winning the Oval Office are extremely slim. But we have to have some kind of recourse for telling the parties, and to telling the political machine, that there are limits to how much you can get away with. You know, the American people will not tolerate, you know, being ignored, being controlled.

Ray Bogan: Why change your name? Could you have still captured the same spirit and kept your name? 

Literally Anybody Else: The same spirit? Yes. The same popularity and notoriety? No. Because I mean, be honest, would you and I be having an interview had I not?

Ray Bogan: No, probably not.

Literally Anybody Else: And it resonates with people. Like it’s so bad that a North Texas man has changed his name, his legal name, his identity to Literally Anybody Else, as a protest bid for the presidency and he can win. I think if there was any presidential campaign, presidential election, where this could make it, it would be this one. 

On policy, Literally Anybody Else said he wants to expand access to health care, break the cycle of recidivism, improve education, have housing affordability for all, support small business, secure our borders responsibly and have an innovative tax plan. However, he talks about those issues very broadly. He said he’ll release a detailed plan in July after he’s had time to consult with experts and stakeholders in those subjects to get a better understanding. 

Ray Bogan: How would you describe yourself politically, whether it be progressive moderate or conservative?

Literally Anybody Else: I wouldn’t put myself as a moderate because it’s not as if I have perfectly centered policies. But where I fall in on the political spectrum averages out to center.

Ray Bogan: Presidential candidates, of course, have a main base of supporters, who is your base?

Literally Anybody Else: I guess my base is just anybody who is against the polarization.

Ray Bogan: If you start to build up support inevitably people will start to say you’re going to be a spoiler candidate one way or the other. What is your response to that for if and when those attacks come?

Literally Anybody Else: They’re already coming. But the reality is neither candidate is really viable or really enjoyed. 

It’s been interesting because I’ve been attacked from both sides saying that I’m going to spoil Biden’s vote and from the other side saying I’m going to spoil Trump’s votes. So I mean, I think we’re doing a pretty good job of running down the middle.

Ray Bogan: I know that you’re married. Are you and your wife prepared for the level of scrutiny that you’ll be under if you really start to build serious momentum? 

Literally Anybody Else: Any bid for the presidency that does reach a serious level is going to be met with a lot of scrutiny and a lot of criticism and nobody wants that kind of microscope into their life, me included. And it just should highlight the fact, like how serious that I’m taking this. That was my identity that I changed to be a part of this, to send this message, to strive for something better. And we had very long conversations about what this would mean, about what this would do, about what this would be worth to us. 

I was obviously a bit more passionate about it than she was, but she believes in the message. We’re very hesitant because we have a three-year-old. We’re very hesitant to kind of have that image of us out there. We’re still going to be a family when this is over. And we have to make sure that I’m still hireable after this, that I don’t burn any bridges that I would need to come back from. 

Literally Anybody Else said he has a growing number of volunteers helping him collect signatures to get on the ballot. He is also accepting donations and told Straight Arrow News he has received $3,000 online.