Ted Cruz Speaks Out Over Joe Biden’s Vacation During Winter Storm – United States KNews.MEDIA

Texas Senator Ted Cruz has weighed in on the conservative criticism of Joe Biden‘s family vacation to the U.S. Virgin Islands.

On Tuesday, Cruz tweeted a Fox News clip discussing the president’s holiday plans with the caption: “Enjoy St. Croix,” followed by palm tree, cocktail and sunshine emojis.

The White House has defended the vacation and said the president will still be working during the period. The Bidens will return to Washington D.C. on January 2.

“No matter where the President is, he is working,” a White House spokesperson told Newsweek in a statement. “The President will continue to closely monitor updates and will remain in close touch with staff over the New Year.”

Cruz’s tweet appeared to be a lighthearted nod to the criticism the Republican received for his trip to Cancun, Mexico, in February 2021 amid a deadly winter storm in Texas.

The senator came under fire for flying out to Cancun with his family as Texas dealt with power outages and no running water during freezing temperatures.

Cruz originally defended his actions by claiming that he flew to Cancun to “be a good dad” after his daughters asked to go on a trip with friends when school was canceled.

Upon his return to the U.S., Cruz admitted that he wanted to spend a few more days in Cancun, but came back earlier amid the uproar.

“I didn’t want all the screaming and yelling about this trip to distract even one moment from the real issues that I think Texans care about, which is keeping all of our families safe,” Cruz said.

“It was obviously a mistake, and in hindsight, I wouldn’t have done it,” the Republican added.

Leaked text messages later revealed that Cruz’s wife Heidi had planned the trip for the entire family on short notice because their home was “FREEZING!” during the winter storm.

Biden and the first lady Jill Biden left on Tuesday to St. Croix to bring in the New Year having celebrated Christmas in the White House. The Bidens have frequently visited the U.S. territory situated in the Caribbean, and went on vacation there least once a year between 2009 and 2017.

Biden spent his Christmas vacation in his home state of Delaware in 2020 and 2021 because of travel restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, with this year’s visit being his first as president.

Biden was criticized by a number of other Republican figures for his vacation abroad at a time of freezing temperatures across the U.S., leaving dozens dead.

“The optics of this are horrible,” conservative commentator Michele Tafoya told Fox News on Tuesday. “Not only is it a vacation, but it’s somewhere warm and beautiful while others are freezing, literally, to death.”