Already in hot water after a trip to Cancún amid a statewide emergency, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) seems to be trying to chill disapproval.
In what appeared to others to be a bid to rehab his image, Cruz posted photosof himself Saturday passing out packs of water bottles to Texans struggling without clean water. On Sunday, he expressed outrage about skyrocketing utility bills, calling for regulatory action. But Cruz’s tweets in the wake of his trip have further fanned the flames of criticism, putting the junior senator under fire for his response to the winter storms that devastated Texas.
In photos Cruz posted of himself with the caption #TexasStrong, he is wearing a face mask with the Texas flag on it and distributing water bottles to people, shaking a maskless woman’s hand in one picture. He appeared to be in Harris County, posting more photos the next day in close contact with first responders, serving them barbecue. Immediately after his initial posts, responses flooded in, condemning Cruz for disregarding federal guidance, which not only advises against traveling to Mexico because of the number of coronavirus cases there, but also recommends that travelers stay home for seven days once they’ve returned to reduce the spread of the virus. Continue reading.