Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was trending across social media on Thursday after he flew to Cancun, Mexico while much of his home state suffered under record cold conditions that have left much of the state without power.
“With school cancelled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends. Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon,” he said in the statement. “My staff and I are in constant communication with state and local leaders to get to the bottom of what happened in Texas. We want our power back, our water on, and our homes warm. My team and I will continue using all our resources to keep Texans informed and safe.”
However, it didn’t take long for the media to call out the Texas senator and his weak response as to why he opted to fly south of the border during such a crisis. Merciless memes soon trended across social media as did hashtags such as #TedFled.
The official account for The Recount (@therecount), shared Cruz’s response, “Sen. Ted Cruz at the Cancún airport: ‘Yesterday my daughters asked if they could take a trip with some friends, and Heidi and I agreed, so I flew down with them last night, dropped them off here and now I’m headed back to Texas.'”
Sen. Ted Cruz at the Cancún airport:
"Yesterday my daughters asked if they could take a trip with some friends, and Heidi and I agreed, so I flew down with them last night, dropped them off here and now I'm headed back to Texas." pic.twitter.com/5d8UwlmZWv
— The Recount (@therecount) February 18, 2021
MSNBC producer Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) posted, “Texas state Rep. Chris Turner to CNN on Ted Cruz: ‘As far as I’m concerned, it would be fine if he remained in Cancun. He doesn’t do anything for us in Texas or in Washington, so I don’t know that we’re gonna notice when he comes back.'”
Texas state Rep. Chris Turner to CNN on Ted Cruz: "As far as I'm concerned, it would be fine if he remained in Cancun. He doesn't do anything for us in Texas or in Washington, so I don't know that we're gonna notice when he comes back."
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 18, 2021
CNBC’s Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla) posted, “It’s Blame Your Daughter At Work Day.”
It's Blame Your Daughter At Work Day.
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla) February 18, 2021
There was of course no shortage of humor across social media, which has already allowed the average user with some Photoshop skills and/or some quick wit to become a political satirist.
Texas resident Warren Holleman (@WarrenHolleman) posted a photo of Cruz apparently wearing a Lonestar State themed mask and offered, “Question: What did it take to finally get Ted Cruz to wear a mask during a pandemic that killed a half million Americans? Answer: A Texas power outage that he wanted to secretly escape from.”
Question: What did it take to finally get Ted Cruz to wear a mask during a pandemic that killed a half million Americans?
Answer: A Texas power outage that he wanted to secretly escape from. pic.twitter.com/Rdfami25Yx— Warren Holleman (@WarrenHolleman) February 18, 2021
