Scandal-hit Ted Cruz to speak to CPAC about ‘cancel culture’

Texas senator Ted Cruz will reportedly address this week’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) with a speech about cancel culture.

Mr Cruz will speak to conservative leaders on Friday at the annual event, which starts on Thursday in Orlando, Florida, according to the conference schedule.

It comes a week after Mr Cruz was criticised for flying with his family to Cancun, Mexico, on Thursday, as tens of thousands of Texans remained without power for the fourth day running during record breaking winter weather.

Mr Cruz returned to the state within hours of touching down in Mexico, facing calls for his resignation by the Texas Democratic party, amid a wider backlash.

He admitted afterwards that the trip had been a “mistake”, and that he "was trying to take care of my kids,” who like millions of Texans last week, went for days without power or running water.

“It's unfortunate, the fire storm that came from it. It was not my intention,” he told broadcaster ABC13 after returning to Texas. “In saying yes to my daughters to somehow diminish all the Texans that were going through real hardship."

Appearing on Fox News on Thursday night, Mr Crux said he intended on staying in Cancun for a couple of days, and that he was not on a round-trip, as stated in the initial statement.

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He told Sean Hannity “I had initially planned to stay through the weekend and to work remotely there, but as I — as I was heading down there, you know, I started to have second thoughts almost immediately because the crisis here in Texas, you need to be here on the ground."

The controversy culminated on Sunday when a Mexican mariachi band appeared outside Mr Cruz’s home in Houston, Texas, in apparent protest at his cancelled trip to Cancun.

The senator, at the same time, was photographed handing out bottled water to struggling Texas who were still without water, in what critics called a photo opportunity.

A Twitter user wrote: wrote: “I’m glad someone in Ted Cruz’s Senate office finally instructed him on how to fake compassion, humanity, and creating the illusion that he cares about the people he was elected to serve.”

Mr Cruz will appear at CPAC alongside former US president Donald Trump, who is due to set out a potential run for office in 2024, according to Axios, with a speech on Sunday.

Former vice president Mike Pence will not attend, after reportedly declining an invite to the conference following Mr Trump’s remarks about his role in confirming the 2020 election result amid the 6 January Capitol riot.

A Twitter user, in response to Mr Cruz’s scheduled appearance at CAPC, wrote: “Hey Texas! Just thought y'all should know that instead of advocating for the millions of Texans still without power and basic resources due to last week's weather crisis, Ted Cruz will be speaking at CPAC this Friday. What will he be talking about? Cancel culture.”

The senator, who in the past criticised California politicians for power failures, tweeted on Wednesday last week that “I got no defence”.

Donald Trump Jr, meanwhile, defended Mr Cruz after the Cancun controversy and said in a video that although “the optics” were not ideal, “I’m not going to jump on this bandwagon of trying to cancel the guy.” Because Cruz is the real victim here.”