Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) was accused of traveling to Cancún, Mexico, amid the ongoing crisis in Texas, where millions were left without power or heating at low temperatures.
Photos that circulated on social media during the night seemed to show the senator at an airport and on an airplane. The idea that Cruz and his family had flown to Mexico soon spread on Twitter.
However, Cruz’s office had not confirmed any travel plans to Cancún at the time of writing and Newsweek failed to independently verify the claim that he was at an airport or flying on Wednesday.
This did not prevent many social media users from accepting that Cruz had left the country while his state struggled with a major crisis.
“I just confirmed that @SenTedCruz and his family flew to Cancún tonight to spend a few days at a resort they have already visited,” tweeted former MSNBC anchor David Shuster.
“Cruz seems to believe that there is not much he can do in Texas for the millions of other Texans who remain without electricity / water and are literally freezing.”
Shuster shared a photo of Cruz on an airplane, but it is not clear when the photo was taken and the journalist offered no further evidence that the senator had flown to Mexico yesterday.
Only confirmed @SenTedCruz and his family flew to Cancun tonight for a few days at a resort they’ve already visited. Cruz seems to believe that there is not much to do in Texas for the millions of other Texans who remain without electricity / water and are literally freezing. pic.twitter.com/6nPiVWtdxe
– David Shuster (@DavidShuster) February 18, 2021
Shuster’s tweet was liked more than 26,000 times and retweeted, including tweets with quotes, more than 20,000 times on Thursday morning. “Cancún” was the most popular topic on Twitter in the United States
Cruz’s two official Twitter accounts did not mention any trips so far. However, Keith Edwards, a former senior digital adviser to Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff’s campaign, said he had confirmation of the rumor.
“Now I have several people sending me a DM, confirming that he was on his flight to Cancún today,” Edwards tweeted on Wednesday night. He also said that passengers on the flight sent him photos that prove it.
“Two people in my DMs sent pictures of Ted on his flight today from Cancún,” he wrote. Edwards did not share the messages he said he received, but said the statement about Cruz was correct.
The plane in question appears to have been the 4:45 pm CST United Airlines flight from the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston to Cancun. Other social media users suggested that Cruz was at the United Airlines terminal.
It is not clear at this point whether Cruz and his family traveled to Mexico on Wednesday or how recently the photos were taken. While some Twitter users expressed skepticism and wanted to wait until all the facts were known, there was widespread criticism of Cruz from those who believed the statement to be correct.
More than 4 million Texas residents were left without power and heat after a major power failure in the state this week. The network agency, ERCOT, said it did not know when the power would be fully restored.
Senator Ted Cruz was invited to comment on this article.
Tom Williams-Pool // Getty Images