Ted Cruz’s apology tour continues with an attempt to give back to his constituents. Not long after he reluctantly returned to his home state from Cancun, the Texas senator’s photo-op to salvage his reputation is receiving backlash online.
On Saturday (Feb. 20), Cruz tweeted out photos of himself speaking to a Texas resident as he gave away packs of water to needy families. He didn’t indicate where the water giveaway was located nor did he say when it happened. The photos, which show him putting packs of water in the trunks of Texas residents, didn’t sit well with victims of the winter storm.
The ratio between his tweet’s likes and retweets versus the replies is too obvious to ignore. Some Twitter users wondered where all the snow on the ground went. Others simply said that Cruz’s attempt at a charitable act was too little, too late. “Where and when were these taken?” one Twitter user replied. “No coats, gloves or hats? Only 2 cars at the entire place? Something doesn’t add up.”
“First you abandon your constituents, now they are crisis photo opps to you?” another user tweeted. “Do you have any shame at all Ted Cruz?”
Cruz’s recent effort to win back his fellow Texans amid the disastrous winter storm comes days after he was caught fleeing the state to Cancun, Mexico with his family. Once he was discovered on the flight out of Houston, the senator issued a statement in which he blamed the trip on his daughters’ desire to go on vacation. He later admitted that he made a mistake and eventually returned to Texas while his family stayed in Cancun.
The photos were uploaded shortly after other political figures like former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez raised funds for needy families. AOC helped fundraise well over $3 million for 12 food banks in Texas.