‘I just want public schooling to stay kind of conservative and pure because I have little girls.’

Cameron Finney, 28, has a full-time job creating TikTok content and is raising two daughters with her husband. In the 2024 presidential election, Finney voted for President Donald Trump, citing her conservative values and the best interests of her daughters.

Dorothy Carpenter: Why did you vote for President Trump in the 2024 election?

Cameron Finney: That’s a deep question because I feel like there are so many reasons why you could vote for someone or not. My top things that I can think of are I just fall a little bit more politically conservative. I wouldn’t say, per se, that if there was another option, I would have still voted for Trump. If there was another conservative option, I might have liked them better, but he was the runner, so I voted for him. The thing that got me the most is education right now and what they’re trying to push to teach kids in public schools. I just want public schooling to stay kind of conservative and pure because I have little girls. That was probably my main reason. Obviously, there were a few other things, but whenever I vote for someone now, I always think of my kids.

Carpenter: What were your other big reasons?

Finney: I have two girls, so another reason was women’s sports. I want to make sure that girls are protected in sports and that sports stay within just girls. I want my girls to have a fair shot at sports anywhere if that’s what they choose to do.

Carpenter: How are you feeling since the Trump administration came into office? How are you feeling about everything that has been done so far?

Finney: I’m feeling pretty good. I know that Trump kind of goes through some power struggles. I think right now he’s going a little bit too hard. I want him to back up a little bit on all the executive orders. This is not professional of me to say, but slow down, buddy. Let’s not go too fast. You’re going to upset people quickly. But a lot of the things that he has done I am happy about.

Carpenter: Is there anything that you feel is like a positive thing?

Finney: My full-time job is on TikTok. TikTok is going through a potential ban, and he extended it and probably will extend it again. So, I get to keep my job. If TikTok got banned, I’d be out of work. I was thankful for that. I’m glad that they are being a little bit stricter with the border right now. When we were in Arizona, my now husband really saw the effects of cartels and the scariness of the border. He was a school principal and he had kids in his high school who would do runs for the cartel because Arizona is close to the Mexican border. These poor kids were just trying to make a living and make some money for their families. They probably came from poor families. The cartel was offering them excellent money. My husband said that a couple of these kids were found dead, yeah, kids that he knew. And so, you know, just having those personal stories, I’m glad that they’re being a little bit stricter on the border and making sure we’re knowing who’s coming in.

Carpenter: Is there anything that you don’t like that Trump has done since taking office?

Finney: I think it’s just the unnecessary stuff, like the plastic straw executive order. Why? Why do we need this? There’s no point, you know? Let’s focus on the real things. I don’t like the tariffs. If he does do a tariff, I think 25% is too much. It’s going to affect consumers eventually, even though, you know, they’re trying to just fix the economy. I think it’s going a little bit too hard, too fast, and we’re going to see the effects in the United States.

Carpenter: Have your viewpoints changed at all over the years? Have you always been conservative?

Finney: I was conservative before I went off to college, but I also didn’t really know what I believed in. I wasn’t super into politics. Then I went off to college and met a lot of people who believed in a lot of different things and had friends who believed in different things, and it was really no big deal like we all were best friends. Some of my best friends were liberal, and some of my best friends were conservative. It was just very neutral, and everyone knew that they believed differently than me. We were able to have conversations, and nothing got heated. I don’t know how, but it was great. I was able to hear a lot of different viewpoints and beliefs. That got me to lean a little bit more, not super right ring wing, not left, but just a little moderate, where I can understand both sides. Then competed in pageants where I had to do 10-minute interviews with a panel of judges, and half of the questions they asked were political. So, in these interviews, you have to be able to tell them what you believe in a way that isn’t going to be hateful. So, you have to tell them I believe this, but I also understand the other side. I learned how to argue in an effective way. It got me to research both sides. I wouldn’t call myself way to the right, but I’m still conservative. I am able to see both sides still.

Carpenter: Do you find that you can still openly talk with people, or does it get too heated too fast?

Finney: Oh my gosh, no. I mean, sometimes. It depends on who I’m talking to because I think some people can handle it. In this political climate, if you talk about your beliefs, some people just get mad, and I understand, but it really depends on who it is, and if I know it’s someone that believes very polar opposite than I do, I probably won’t say anything, because I don’t want to start any problems. So, it really depends.