Ted Cruz continues with his dubious tradition of refusing to read the room. His most famous instance of this (at least in the context of letting down his state) was to flee to sunny Cancun during a devastating ice storm. He’s working hard to live up to that reputation (of shafting his constituents) by not pledging to do much about the Uvalde mass school shooting other than to crusade against doors, which he feels are much more to blame than (no) gun laws for how a gunman took the lives of 19 children at Robb Elementary School.
On Wednesday, Ted (who, for the record, hasn’t accepted nearly as many NRA donations as Mitt Romney, although those gun-lobby donations do exist) decided to ignore the Ulvade funerals that had started to flow (along with news of another mass shooting, this time in Tulsa at a hospital campus). As mourners gathered for slain teacher Irma Garcia (and her husband, Joe, who apparently died of a broken heart two days later), the much maligned senator from Texas decided to tweet about having “ridiculous fun” at a Poker After Dark charity event. He even posted clips:
Head-to-head vs. an iconic poker player like @phil_hellmuth was ridiculous fun! pic.twitter.com/6aeiIB8q1W
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 1, 2022
And although his replies were stacked with people asking what on earth he was thinking, he kept tweeting more clips of the “awesome” poker game.
Last year, I played in a charity poker game on Poker After Dark with @MrBeast, @ClayTravis, @alexandravbotez, @GrahamStephan, @phil_hellmuth, and the legend himself: @TexDolly Doyle Brunson.
It was awesome! Catch the first episode here @pokergo:https://t.co/s3QMgUV6a7
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 1, 2022
Ted then (weakly) pointed out that this poker game was months ago, alright? Still, he maybe could have waited to share those clips at a better time for fun.
We played this poker game several months ago—they just aired the first part (2 more to come).
I win this pot, but listen to the end: @phil_hellmuth calls my hand EXACTLY.
Maybe there’s a reason he has 15 bracelets…. https://t.co/wM30aRFYrs
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 2, 2022
Journalist Aaron Rupar’s reaction tweet says it all, and so do the rest of these social media users.
Ted Cruz’s last 4 tweets have been about a poker game he played in
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 2, 2022
Ted Cruz bragging about playing poker while little children are being buried in the aftermath of a horrendous mass shooting is very on-brand for Senator Cancun Cruz.
Despicable. pic.twitter.com/et5EFqduLF
— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) June 2, 2022
Uvalde Texas is in the process of burying the 19 kids and two teachers who were massacred and seditious prick Rafael Ted Cruz is bragging on Twitter about how much fun he had playing poker on TV. The evil soulless parasitic asshole deserves no peace anywhere he is or goes.
— Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) June 2, 2022
Cancun as Texas children froze to death.
Poker as Texas children are buried.@TedCruz is the best #Texas can do. https://t.co/Le1Aox9G9H— Hal Sparks (@HalSparks) June 2, 2022
Ted Cruz is all about “having fun” while his fellow Texans are dying.
Freezing and he flees to Cancun.
School murders and he goes and plays poker.
Ted is all about Ted. He doesn’t give a shit about Texans.— Woman In The Moon (@SassyKadiK) June 2, 2022
As Texans grappled with the power outage, Ted Cruz went to Cancun.
As Texans grappled with a mass shooting at a school, Ted Cruz played poker. https://t.co/1CDxTBBxAT
— Max Berger (@maxberger) June 2, 2022
Watching ted cruz bragging about playing poker today, while the funerals for the children murdered in Uvalde take place, just says a LOT about his lack of character
— susan
(@susan52132641) June 1, 2022
BREAKING: Phil Helmuth second biggest asshole at the poker table for first time in career thanks to Ted Cruz being present.
— Ol’ Dood (@NahNotFeelinIt) June 2, 2022