Offering an alternative to the American public in the US polls, a little-known former CIA counter-terrorism operative and a Republican dissident Evan McMullin entered the White House race, saying America deserves much better than Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton.
McMullin, 40, a chief policy adviser for House Republican Conference, was slated to file paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission as a presidential candidate. But he has a little chance of winning.
"In a year where Americans have lost faith in the candidates of both major parties, it's time for a generation of new leadership to step up," McMullin said in a statement on his official Facebook page.
"It's never too late to do the right thing, and America deserves much better than either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton can offer us. I humbly offer myself as a leader who can give millions of disaffected Americans a better choice for President," he wrote.
McMullin, a former House Republican aide, has a fierce Trump critic on social media, calling him an "authoritarian" last month on Twitter.
Conservative group Better For America, which opposes a Trump presidency, is backing McMullin's candidacy, according to ABC News.