Senator Ted Cruz, who is facing severe backlash for his Cancun trip as Texas — the state he represents — battled a deadly snowstorm and power outage, was mocked on social media for his weight gain. Twitter users ridiculed Cruz's weight gain and questioned his fashion after photos of him and his family boarding a flight to Cancun, Mexico, from Houston's international airport on Wednesday went viral.
While Cruz returned to Texas on Thursday evening amid raging criticism, social media users resorted to body shaming the senator among other things. Some commented on his outfit and mocked that the senator was aiming for actor Wagner Moura's Pablo Escobar look from Netflix series Narcos.
"@tedcruz You are a failure as an elected official. Your state is in dire straits, and you leave them behind. A couple of things: Get a haircut and shave that crummy beard. While you're at it, get some clothes that fit (or lose weight). No clue how you beat @BetoORourke," one Twitter user wrote.
"Ted Cruz looks like he's about to give birth with that belly. What is he eating in Washington between flirts and tweets to AOC?" read another user's tweet.
"[W]ho wears jeans when flying? Confirmation that he's a psychopath," a third Twitter user stated.
"Ted Cruz not only destroyed Texas. He has ruined the blue jean industry. Someone stop him. Get rid of those jeans. He has developed a figure like Trump. Let him stay in Cancun," another user said.
However, some Twitter users called out those who body shamed Cruz.
"I think there's plenty enough to say about Ted Cruz without bringing up his belly or weight. I'm seeing a lot of jabs on social media, and we can do better than that. I mean, it's Ted Cruz!" one user tweeted.
"His body shape has nothing to do with what a terrible person he is. Body shaming sucks. Do better, or we won't be able to distinguish you from Cruz supporters," wrote another user.
Following the backlash, Cruz released a statement on Thursday saying went to Cancun after his daughters asked him to take them on a trip. However, he later admitted that the trip was "obviously a mistake" and that he changed his flight because he began having second thoughts.
