A recent Grand Junction High School graduate found himself in the White House around the holidays.
Dean Withers has experienced a lightning-quick rise to fame since he graduated from GJHS in 2022. He has gathered a large following on multiple platforms for his social and political debates, having more than two million followers on TikTok, nearly 33,000 subscribers on YouTube, and 244,000 followers on Instagram.
Withers started his political path by debating conservatives on TikTok live and slowly gained traction, his virality coming largely from a Jubilee episode of “1 Democrat vs. 25 Republicans.” He has debated renowned Republican individuals such as Charlie Kirk and Ben Shapiro and gained an audience for his tactful and effective debate tactics.
“I really enjoy what I do now with talking to other people about what they believe in and why. For the longest time I just observed a lot of harmful, very bigoted beliefs that hurt a lot of people being accepted and perpetuated by people I love and accepted and perpetuated to the demise of the people I love and I even held some of these beliefs myself,” said Withers.
Withers is open about the fact that he started from a unique position as a liberal debater, coming from a conservative background in Grand Junction.
“I learned that through the use of new information, education, and research that I was able to shift my perspectives away from those beliefs that harm people and ultimately speaking with my social and political debate. I hope to do the same for others,” added Withers.
Although he comes from GJHS, Withers did not credit his current path to his high school career. He had minimal involvement in debate activities and even stated he was not a very good student in general. However, he was involved in FBLA and won multiple awards.
He did give a shoutout to GJHS social studies teacher Justin Whiteford. He recently visited a class of Whiteford’s on Jan. 15, giving students a chance to debate with and observe him.
“Whiteford was always a fan favorite, I love that guy,” Withers said. “l Iove Whiteford”
Withers was recently invited to a White House holiday party by former President Joe Biden and attended on Dec. 17, 2024. It was one of the many cool experiences he has had due to his new-found influence as a debater.
“Being invited to the White House by the President was the coolest, man. It was so unbelievably cool. The coolest moment was just walking into the White House. It was the most beautiful, elegant, well-thought out place I’ve ever been in my whole life. I felt like I was in a movie,” said Withers.
Despite this, he stated that his popularity has brought negatives, too. He explained that he has sacrificed a lot due to his five hour live streams seven days a week, including a social life, going out, many friends, and more. Withers expressed that he wishes he had time to do normal activities such as skiing, going to the gym, and even hanging out with friends.
“It’s reshaped my personal life in its entirety, a lot of it not necessarily for the good. But I’m more concerned about the good that I do for others and the things that I get out of the live streams compared to the good that I do for myself,” said Withers.
Withers doesn’t have regrets. He loves what he does and prioritizes trying to make a difference as a political and social debater. He recommends that for people who want to go down similar paths, they consider the positive alongside the negatives.
Withers expressed, “It’s hard living in controversy 24/7. It takes a really big toll on your mental health. But, I’ve never had a more rewarding experience hearing from individuals who I have been able to direct towards holding better beliefs that have good results on those around them. It is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done with my life, and it could be for them too.”
Overall, the GJHS graduate does not carry regrets, and plans to continue his political debate career while trying to have a positive impact in the country and world.
“If I won the lottery tomorrow and I didn’t have to worry about money for the rest of my life, I still feel like I’d be going live everyday. Because although there’s a lot of downsides that I’ve highlighted, there’s just something that I just love about it and find so fascinating and addicting and really helps me have a better self image of myself as well as a better optimistic viewpoint for the future of the world,” said Withers.
As for his future, he plans to keep his doors open, stating, “I ultimately just want to be able to persist myself in such a way where I can create the largest amount of good for the largest amount of people. Who knows, maybe that will turn out to be a seat in the House or Senate, a seat in the Oval Office, or just a seat in a studio in the middle of nowhere filming content for the internet.”
