Cruz’s international excursion: “He’s a politician that really has never cared much about anybody but himself.”

Hinojosa said he was shocked but not surprised by Mr. “This is about as callous as any politician can get,” said Gilberto Hinojosa, the Texas Democratic Party chairman. Some Democratic groups sought to fund-raise off the episode, and the state Democratic Party renewed its calls for Mr. Cruz during the 2016 primary race, and #FledCruz, among them. Cruz’s critics quickly circulated hashtags mocking his trip: #FlyinTed, a play on former President Donald J. “As it became a bigger and bigger firestorm, it became all the more compelling that I needed to come back,” he added. “But I also have a responsibility that I take very seriously of fighting for the state of Texas.” “On the one hand, all of us who are parents have a responsibility to take care of our kids, take care of our families,” Mr. “The plan had been to stay through the weekend with the family,” he said, framing the decision as a parent’s attempt to placate his two daughters, ages 10 and 12, after a “tough week.” Speaking to reporters after his arrival home, he conceded that the trip was “obviously a mistake” and said he had begun having “second thoughts” as soon as he boarded the plane to Mexico intent on a few days of remote work in the sun. Cruz offered a new statement with a different tone from earlier in the day, when he had tried to explain the vacation without regrets and left the impression that it might have always been a one-day trip for him. He was wearing a Texas state flag mask and a short-sleeved polo shirt tucked into his jeans the temperature in Cancún was above 80 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday, and in the 30s in Houston.Īfter landing back in the United States, Mr. Cruz told a television crew at the Cancún airport. “What’s happening in Texas is unacceptable,” Mr. Some searched neighborhoods for discarded fallen trees to burn for warmth. Cruz was spotted wheeling his suitcase in Mexico on Thursday as he returned to the state he represents in the Senate.Īs the Cruzes were away, millions of Texans were still without electricity, many had no running water and the icy air that swept into the state was so severe that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had been activated to send supplies, including generators. The Houston police confirmed that the senator’s office had sought their assistance for his airport trip on Wednesday, and eventually Mr. Cruz’s office declined to comment on his whereabouts. The text messages were provided to The New York Times and confirmed by a second person on the thread, who declined to be identified because of the private nature of the texts.įor more than 12 hours after the airport departure photos first emerged, Mr. Cruz invited others to join them at the Ritz-Carlton in Cancún, where they had stayed “many times,” noting the room price this week ($309 per night) and its good security. Cruz put it - and she proposed a getaway until Sunday.

Cruz to friends and Houston neighbors on Wednesday revealed a hastily planned trip. Cruz, a Republican, released a statement saying he had flown to Mexico “to be a good dad” and accompany his daughters and their friends he noted he was flying back Thursday afternoon, though he did not disclose how long he had originally intended to stay. Cruz and his wife, Heidi, boarding the flight ricocheted quickly across social media and left both his political allies and rivals aghast at a tropical trip as a disaster unfolded at home. Cruz got out, fleeing Houston and hopping a Wednesday afternoon flight to Cancún with his family for a respite at a luxury resort. Like millions of his constituents across Texas, Senator Ted Cruz had a frigid home without electricity this week amid the state’s power crisis.

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