• On Thursday, Ted Cruz’s departure from Cancún was reported to have been earlier than planned.
• On Wednesday, Cruz flew to Cancún, originally intended to stay until Saturday.
• The senator flew home, facing criticism that he had left Texas in a deadly winter storm.

GOP Sen. Ted Cruz was in Cancun, Mexico, for less than 24 hours before changing his original plan to stay in the resort city until Saturday and rushing back to Texas, according to multiple reports.

Cruz faced a critical assault on his departure from Texas on Wednesday, as the state dealt with a deadly winter storm that caused millions to lose power. He reportedly contacted United Airlines early Thursday morning and changed his flight from Saturday afternoon to Thursday afternoon. Skift reporter Edward Russell broke the news first, citing an unidentified airline source, but NBC reporter Peter Alexander confirmed it separately.

Insider contacted Cruz’s office for clarification on whether the Texas Republican changed his original itinerary and flew home early due to the torrent of criticism he received upon leaving the country. Cruz’s press secretary responded with a widely circulated statement about the trip from the senator. The Senator’s statement did not specify whether he had always planned to return on Thursday or whether Cruz changed his flight after arriving in Cancun.

Ted Cruz Photo: Ted Cruz Traveling to Cancun During Texas Winter Storm (Photo: People)
Cruz stated in his statement that he traveled to Cancun at the request of his daughters, who were absent from school due to the winter storm.

“This has been an infuriating week for Texas,” he said. “With school canceled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends. Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon.”

Cruz told reporters at Cancun Airport as he returned to Texas on Thursday that his daughters had asked him on Wednesday if they could go to Cancun with friends. Cruz stated that he agreed with his wife and chose to accompany them.

“I flew down with them last night, dropped them off here, and now I’m headed back to Texas,” Cruz said, adding that “what’s happening in Texas is unacceptable.”

The Texas senator’s justification for the trip has been met with widespread skepticism and mockery, and critics accuse him of throwing his daughters under the bus for the bad optics of taking a vacation while his state is in crisis.

“Ted Cruz let Trump call his wife ugly and say his dad killed JFK, with no repercussions. Now he blames daughters for his abandonment of Texans during a deadly crisis,” tweeted Anthony Scaramucci, who was briefly White House communications director in the Trump administration. “Ted, you have no dignity, you are a disgrace and you will never be President, let alone Senator for much longer.”