Becky Oliveira, a Queens-born first generation American, went to Saint Francis University in 2018 as a “radical feminist.” There, she faced persecution for her resistance against personally receiving school mandated vaccines.
This was a catalyst in her journey to becoming the Design Chairwoman of the New York Young Republicans Club in 2022. Oliveira voted for Donald J. Trump in her first general election in 2020 and most recently in this November’s election that found the former President, once again, president-elect. Oliveira defended her vote, citing concern with President Biden’s last four years, among other issues.
The NYYRC is a non-profit partisan advocacy group that was founded in 1911 in New York City. They aim to unilaterally promote conservative ideas and support Republicans on the ballot.
“There was a point in my life where I would have proudly called myself a radical feminist,” said Oliveira. “Being a feminist is an angry and regressive mindset that makes you miserable, and I want to be happy.”
Oliveira said that she is pro-family, rather than pro-choice. She believes that reproductive rights should be left up to individual states. Currently, nine states have an all-out abortion ban, with no exception for rape or incest of the impregnated woman, according to KFF, a health policy institute.
Oliveira was engaged on Dec. 4. She said she was excited to start a family under the Trump administration.
“Trump is pro-family,” said Oliveira. “I think that anybody in office who is going to make abortions available wherever and however is wrong. Let’s institute policies that make it easier to raise a family, have a family and feed a family. So you don’t have to feel like abortion is an option. That is what I think will come out of a Trump administration, that I am very happy about.”
Vice President-elect JD Vance spoke similarly at the Vice Presidential debate when trying to contextualize reproductive rights in the face of scrutiny. The Guttmacher Institute reported that Project 2025, a policy plan closely associated with Trump, aims to deny access to abortion care in emergency situations.
Another issue that influenced Oliveira’s vote was the economy.
“We were doing great under Trump,” she said. “My family was thriving. If it wasn’t for COVID, I feel like the Trump economy would have kept booming.”
Oliveira said a Nobel Peace Prize doesn’t have any bearing on one’s personal opinion, despite 16 Nobel Peace Prize-winning economists expressing support of Kamala Harris’s economic plan over Trump’s for the next four years.
Oliveira felt left behind by the left. Hallmark talking points varying from vaccine mandates to crime in her home state of New York put her with the majority who voted for Trump. Feeling a sense of acceptance within the republican community was paramount.
“I feel very blessed to have found such a great institution of people who share my values and I don’t have to feel crazy for having them because there’s 1,500 members who agree with me,” said Oliveira. “Now you can say most of the country thinks like me. I’m normal. I just want criminals to be in jail. I don’t want people who commit crimes to take all of our resources.
The New York City Police Department was allotted a budget of $10.8 billion for 2024, according to the Citizens Budget Commission.
Trump overwhelmed the Democrats this time around. Compared to 2020, voters came out in support of him by 8% more in this year’s election, according to the Pew Research Center.
“Trump is a populist and in tune with the working class,” said OIiviera. Donald Trump has never claimed to be middle class.”
The Washington Post, who did not endorse a Presidential candidate in this year’s election, clocked over 30,000 false or misleading claims by Trump while in office between 2017-2021. Oliveira challenged the standard that Trump was being held to.
“Obviously the man is prone to grandiosity,” said Oliveira. “Does that mean he’s lying or is it just a turn of phrase? No other politicians are held to the same standard.”
