Critics liken Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Korea trip during Beryl to Ted Cruz’s Cancun getaway

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is facing backlash Monday over what critics are calling a poorly timed social media post in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl.

Beryl made landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast early Monday morning as a Category 1 storm.  More than 1.5 million Texans are without power as of press time, according to the Associated Press, and at least two people have died as a result of the weather event.

However, Abbott didn’t appear too concerned about the storm surge battering coast by the look of his account on social media platform X. He boasted early in the morning about his successful meeting with South Korean business executives but didn’t issue a tweet about the storm until around 10:45 a.m., nearly seven hours after the storm reached the Texas coast at 4 a.m.

“Spent a very productive afternoon in Seoul,” Abbott tweeted after Beryl made landfall in Matagorda. “Met with [Korea International Trade Association] and business leaders from across South Korea to discuss economic opportunities in Texas to grow and succeed.”

Abbott also met with executives from eclectic vehicle charging station producer SK Signet to “thank them for their investment in Texas.”

Social media users were quick to ridicule Abbott’s tweet from Seoul, with some drawing parallels between this trip abroad and Ted Cuz’s infamous Cancun vacation during 2021’s Winter Storm Uri.

“My power went out in Galveston in the middle if the night and I’m sure it will be out for days while we try to ride out the storm in 90+ degree heat and 100% humidity,” user @mollywwid tweeted. “But I’m glad you’re having a nice vacation.”

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going as far away as possible,” user @CM_Lewis commented, posting a GIF of Cruz at the airport.

U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-California, also weighed in on X, comparing Abbott’s trip to Asia to Cruz’s trip south of the border.

“My family is about to be slammed by Hurricane Beryl. And shocker… Governor Greg Abbott is out of the country,” Swalwell tweeted. “Sound familiar, Ted Cruz? My god. Who the hell are these leaders? And why aren’t they held to account?

Abbott is on an economic development mission to Asia, where he’ll also visit Taiwan and Japan. He’s expected to return on July 13, according to a press release. In the meantime, Abbott has left Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in charge of hurricane response.

Beryl is expected to continue pounding the Texas coast with damaging winds and rain before moving out of the area Tuesday.

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This article appears in Jun 26 – Jul 2, 2024.