U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has fled to Mexico. As Texans face blackouts, harsh and unusually cold weather, flooding concerns, lack of heat, and general chaos in trying to get everything from groceries to running water, photos of the Republican senator flying to Cancun, Mexico, have gone viral. Cruz’s office has not released an official comment, and Cruz’s social media does not mention the trip. Mind you, this is international travel during a literal global pandemic.
That said, Fox journalist Chad Pergram tweeted that fellow Fox News reporter Paul Steinhauser confirmed Cruz did indeed travel to Mexico. The source reportedly said “the photos speak for themselves.” As my colleague Mark Sumner points out, as ever with the GOP, there’s always the possibility they’ll keep things vague and confusing with the hope of saying, “Hey, that’s fake news!” later on. Let’s dive into what social media has to say about the situation below.
First, the tweet from Pergram confirms the story.
Colleague Paul Steinhauser confirms GOP TX Sen Ted Cruz traveled to Cancun amid the TX storm/power outages. GOP Source: “the photos speak for themselves”
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) February 18, 2021
As some background, photos of Cruz traveling to Mexico gained traction on Wednesday night.
It appears in the middle of the worst energy crisis in the history of Texas, @tedcruz is on his way to Cancun with his family. pic.twitter.com/aEdiqdn70j
— Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) February 18, 2021
Just confirmed @SenTedCruz and his family flew to Cancun tonight for a few days at a resort they’ve visited before. Cruz seems to believe there isn’t much for him to do in Texas for the millions of fellow Texans who remain without electricity/water and are literally freezing. pic.twitter.com/6nPiVWtdxe
— David Shuster (@DavidShuster) February 18, 2021
When Texas was hurting and Texans were freezing and dying and needed @SenTedCruz, he went to Mexico to stay at a resort. pic.twitter.com/0cnRVhL7xU
— Don Winslow (@donwinslow) February 18, 2021
Note the same face mask.
Ok, at first I didn’t think this was ted cruz, but this person has the same mask as the senator. Did Ted Cruz fly to Cancun today during his state’s emergency? https://t.co/dZe90haUzN pic.twitter.com/hMdOKdAuFM
— Keith Edwards (@keithedwards) February 18, 2021
People are, of course, livid. And how does social media deal with frustration, anger, and disappointment? Jokes!
Mexicans should have built a wall to keep Ted Cruz out.
— Victoria Brownworth (@VABVOX) February 18, 2021
Ted Cruz just left the United States for a better life in Mexico. The same guy that try’s to stop Mexicans coming to the United States for a better life.
— ⚪️Johnathan Ford⚪️ (@FordJohnathan5) February 18, 2021
What if Ted Cruz’s whole family is trapping warm Cancun air into plastic bags to bring back and share with their fellow Texans? Didn’t think of that one, huh?
— Gary Shteyngart (@Shteyngart) February 18, 2021
#TedCruz is having his Chris Christie on the beach moment. But Cruz’s move is literally and figuratively a lot colder and lives are being lost. #CancunCruz #CruzResign pic.twitter.com/GxLU8dPtgU
— Nick Walden Poublon (@NWPinPDX) February 18, 2021
Guys stop you’re RUINING @tedcruz’s vacation in a pandemic while the people who elected him to protect them suffer through a catastrophic infrastructure collapse!
— Bess Kalb (@bessbell) February 18, 2021
Ted Cruz has flown to Cancun for a vacation, advising his freezing constituents in Texas to “be warmed by the thought of me enjoying a margarita by the pool. I will think of you during my pedicure – stay spa treatment strong”
— Paul Rudnick (@PaulRudnickNY) February 18, 2021
Ted Cruz is warming himself in Cancun with his cohorts while the people he is meant to serve in Texas freeze . People are afraid, hungry cold .he is not fit to serve the American people in any way shape or form .he is a disgrace .
— ✌?rosanna arquette (@RoArquette) February 18, 2021
.@tedcruz finally wearing a mask to escape Texas while millions suffer. You and Heidi sure are who we thought you were.
— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) February 18, 2021
Who will Cruz try to blame? Progressives, probably.
Who will Ted Cruz blame as his excuse for allegedly going to Cancun and abandoning Texas? – AOC – Wind – Green New Deal – Seth Rogen – Obama – Cancel Culture – Kamala Harris Or…?
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) February 18, 2021
Or God!
“God wanted me to go to Cancun during a terrible crisis, because you see….” – opening remarks during Ted Cruz’s inevitable explanation for bailing on his state as people are dying.
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) February 18, 2021
In addition to jokes, people are also comparing Cruz’s response to the crisis to that of former Rep. Beto O’Rourke.
I’d just like to point out that the man @BetoORourke ran against for senate, @tedcruz is in Cancun right now. Once more for clarity. SENATOR CRUZ is vacationing in Cancun while BETO, the guy who ISNT Senator, is making sure Texans are safe.
— PandemicParalegal (@PandemicSg) February 18, 2021
Beto O’Rourke vs. Ted Cruz pic.twitter.com/4Sls4kugx1
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) February 18, 2021
Beto O’Rourke’s volunteers calls 151k Texas seniors to make sure they’re okay and help provide assistance. Greg Abbott goes on Fox News and blames a non-existent Green New Deal, Democrats and Windmills. Ted Cruz is vacationing in Cancun while Texans freeze to death. Unreal.
— Turn Texas Blue (@Blue_Texas2022) February 18, 2021
O’Rourke himself also mentioned Cruz’s alleged trip during an interview on Thursday morning. “Unless we hold those responsible accountable for what they did,” O’Rourke stated. “Yes, that means Donald Trump, but it also means the junior senator from the state of Texas, who I understand is vacationing in Cancun right now when people are literally freezing to death in the state he was elected to represent and serve.”
Discussing the Capitol Insurrection, @BetoORourke just now mentioned that Sen. Ted Cruz reportedly hightailed it to Cancun, Mexico, while his constituents freeze to death and have to boil water. pic.twitter.com/9fh4zpfStR
— The Recount (@therecount) February 18, 2021
And though social media isn’t talking about them quite as much as O’Rourke, both Julián and Rep. Joaquin Castro have been working seriously hard to take care of Texans in need during this crisis.
The ads that @JoaquinCastrotx or @JulianCastro or @BetoORourke will be able to run off of this… https://t.co/wLZZ5VgFsg
— Kurt Bardella (@kurtbardella) February 18, 2021
And last but not least, some are speculating that Cruz not only slunk off to Mexico but that he’s already on his way back. This speculation is based on the upgrade list for a United flight below, with the assumption that “CRU R” is him.
Here’s the upgrade list for this afternoon’s flight from Cancun to Houston. Looks like @tedcruz is on his way back, @danpfeiffer. He’s just narrowly missing the upgrade list That’s assuming that “cru, r” is him. And I do. pic.twitter.com/CqfKa5rJfG
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) February 18, 2021
Meanwhile, people are still battling COVID-19, unemployment, and, in Texas, once-in-a-lifetime weather disasters.
