Ted Cruz ribs Newsom over vacation in Mexico: 'Cancun is much nicer than Cabo'

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Wednesday ribbed California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) over his family's Thanksgiving trip to Mexico in a wink to the senator's Cancun trip that landed him in hot water last winter.

The Texas senator retweeted a message noting that Newsom's trip is occurring as California's COVID-19 state of emergency continues.

"Cancun is much nicer than Cabo," Cruz wrote in response to the tweet, a dig at his own decision to travel to the Mexican resort city in February as an unprecedented winter storm left millions without power in Texas.

A photo of Cruz aboard the flight led to widespread criticism and mockery, including by several late-night TV hosts. The senator later admitted: "It was obviously a mistake. In hindsight, I wouldn't have done it."

Since the scandal, Cruz has poked fun at his controversial trip several times, notably at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference, which took place in Orlando.

"I gotta say, Orlando is awesome! It's not as nice as Cancun, but it's nice," Cruz said during his speech.

Some Twitter users weren't in a joking mood Wednesday night, noting that Cruz's and Newsom's trips occurred during different circumstances.

Newsom is in Cabo San Lucas with his family to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. The trip is the first the governor has taken out of the country since the beginning of the pandemic, Newsweek reported.

California saw a seven-day average of about 5,000 COVID-19 cases this past week, slightly below previous weeks and well below the 15,000 average in late August and early September.