‘Ultraconservative’ Dad Asks Son To Buy Cake for BBQ—He’s in for a Surprise

Political differences being dealt with humor is making things a bit easier for one Indiana family.

A video posted to TikTok by Trevor Flick (@bigdairy) has gone viral after he revealed the cake he bought for his “ultraconservative” family barbecue—a cake with “Harris-Walz 2024” written on it. Since the video was posted, it has received over 650,000 views. Flick, 33, spoke to Newsweek about the bit of sugar and spice he brought with him on his trip home to Indiana.

“I’m at my family barbecue and my ultraconservative pops pulls me aside, gives me some money, tells me to go to Dairy Queen and get an ice cream cake for the family,” Flick said in the video. “Sometimes, my ultraconservative pops forgets that I am an ultra-tomfoolery enthusiast.”

In the video, Flick revealed the cake he selected for his family function: an ice cream cake with orange and camouflage frosting, which said “Happy Birthday, Harris-Walz 2024,” i.e. Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Flick told Newsweek that he lives in New York City but is from a small town in Indiana where his family still lives. Flick and his family are not only geographically, but also politically distant. He tries to make the best of it, though.

“One thing about me is that I’m always trying to make people laugh. Life is too short to be taken seriously,” he said. “On my way to Dairy Queen, the idea popped into my head that it would be hilarious to get the cake to say Harris-Walz ’24, especially considering the majority of my family is extremely conservative.”

After his eyes fell on a camouflage and orange cake, he said he couldn’t think of anything more perfect.

While many people in the comments begged for Flick’s family’s reaction, they may be surprised to know that it only went over with a laugh.

“The reaction was as expected,” Flick said. “Everyone thought it was hilarious. Also, embarrassingly enough, some didn’t understand it at first.”

It did live up to Flick’s expectations, though, if not the internet’s.

“The majority of people assumed I was doing it for vengeful reasons and that my dad and family would be pissed,” he said. “But it was quite the opposite. It was a lighthearted moment. The thing about my family is we will always have our differences, but we will always love each other.”

‘Family Is family’

Flick certainly isn’t the only one navigating political differences with family in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. But he is, perhaps, one of the rare who are optimistic about it.

Flick said that above all, belief in his family and their support carries him through disagreements.

“Family is family. We don’t get to choose what we’re born into and while I may disagree fundamentally with everything my dad and family thinks politically, they would never turn their back on me,” Flick said. “It used to bother me a ton, but at some point, you hit the mark where you know nothing you can do or say will change their mind.

“I continue to love them even though I know deep down they’re on the wrong side of history. It’s not my job to persecute anyone for their beliefs, karma will do that for me.”

And in the harder moments, Flick leans on humor.

“It brings people together when they’re mad. It alleviates pressure in sticky situations. With my family, humor brings light to our differences on very serious issues like abortion, immigration and education. Without humor I don’t think I would fully be able to express my opinions,” he said.

For anyone else in his position, who feels politically alone when among their family or friends, he advises expression over swallowing your true feelings.

“Find a way to express how you feel because keeping it in will ultimately hurt you,” he said. “Resentments only take up space in your brain, not the person’s brain who you have beef with.”