Ted Cruz is back in Texas after fleeing the country in a “hastily planned” trip to Cancun that’s put his political career in hot water in a freezing cold, powerless state he abandoned on Wednesday night. The Texas senator was caught leaving Texas in a climate crisis that’s left millions without power and clean water, and instead of trying to help he decided it was better he just board a flight to Mexico.
Cruz sheepishly changed his flight plans and returned stateside on Thursday, blaming his children and their desire to vacation as the reason he left a state experiencing a crisis. The New York Times quickly got some new details about Cruz’s trip, which apparently his wife, Heidi, planned in a hurry through a group text message chain. According to the story, Heidi first told friends and neighbors that they were staying with friends to keep warm, but quickly decided they just had to get away.
“Anyone can or want to leave for the week?” she wrote. “We may go to Cancún.” She teased a “direct flight” and “hotels w capacity. Seriously.” Ms. Cruz promptly shared details for a Wednesday afternoon departure, a Sunday return trip and a luxurious stay at the oceanfront Ritz-Carlton in the meantime.
No one appeared to bite, but Ms. Cruz did extend a more practical offer. “We have gas stove so at least we can heat water little that there is happy to help anyone we can too,” she wrote.
The Times story has some other details about Cruz and the immediate fallout to what’s become, to put it mildly, an enormous political gaffe. But what the story seems to lack is details about why Cruz decided he had to join a trip that was apparently orchestrated by his wife. Cruz’s defenders seem to claim isn’t actually capable of helping Texas residents in any way here. The senator seems to have agreed with those claims and simply decided it was best he save himself rather than even try to help others.