Texas senator Ted Cruz, who fled Texas in the middle of record-breaking cold temperatures that left millions of his constituents without power or water, was unable to escape Twitter’s ire on Thursday, with users gleefully skewering what was seen as the senator’s poor judgment and poorer excuses.
In a statement released 12 hours after he was seen boarding the flight to Mexico, Cruz claimed that he took the flight to accompany his daughters.
New Yorker staff writer Patrick Radden Keefe noted that Cruz “somewhat overpacked” if that was the purpose of his trip.
Wanting to be a good dad I may have somewhat overpacked pic.twitter.com/8fYWPmGykS
— Patrick Radden Keefe (@praddenkeefe) February 18, 2021
The image of Cruz wheeling his suitcase through the airport was swiftly Photoshopped into a slew of unlikely locations.
Nice shot, #PerseveranceRover
— William Linde (@WELinde) February 18, 2021
Looks like it's not just Matt Damon stuck up there. pic.twitter.com/laAg6tbwfA
The first photos transmitted from Perseverance on Mars. Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/Taa10NCvyh
— Heather Bucha Whaley (@HeatherWhaley) February 18, 2021
Ted Cruz. Normandy. pic.twitter.com/XTjxaRNksk
— raf (@rafaelshimunov) February 18, 2021
Comedian Blaire Erskine released a spoof statement from Cruz’s “director of communications” asking why Cruz shouldn’t be allowed to have his “Eat, Pray, Love moment, like everybody else”.
Statement from Director of Communications for Sen. Ted Cruz pic.twitter.com/5cXIkTTZiW
— blaire erskine (@blaireerskine) February 18, 2021
There were references to a Simpson’s episode in which Mayor Quimby claims to have cancelled a vacation to the Bahamas due to an epidemic:
Ted Cruz making a video statement later today pic.twitter.com/65xZcUG5bz
— Declan Cashin (@Tweet_Dec) February 18, 2021
The local Dallas News summed up the response to Cruz’s trip, writing: “He spent just one night out of the country – not long enough for a sunburn, but plenty of time to get blistered.”
But there was no laughing over one element of the story: the family poodle, Snowflake, appeared to have been left at home. Cruz’s wife Heidi wrote in text messages leaked to the New York Times that the house was “FREEZING”.
Just drove by Ted Cruz’s house in Houston. His lights are off but a neighbor told me the block got its power back last night. Also, Ted appears to have left behind the family poodle. pic.twitter.com/TmLyGQkASy
— Michael Hardy (@mkerrhardy) February 18, 2021
A security guard questioned by the New York Magazine journalist who spotted the forlorn dog staring out of the dark house said he was looking after it.
