Ted Cruz says his wife is 'pissed' over leaked Cancun texts


Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) wife apparently had a mole in one of her recent group chats, and she's not happy.
The Texas senator sat down on Tuesday with the Ruthless podcast after drawing outrage for flying to Cancun with his family while Texas suffered through power outages last week. Amid the scandal, The New York Times managed to obtain texts Cruz's wife, Heidi, sent to their friends and neighbors about the trip.
"Heidi's pretty pissed at that," Cruz said of the leaked texts. "She actually was over at her neighbor's house yesterday sort of walking through [it]."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Cruz noted his wife texted their neighbors, a group that includes both Republicans and Democrats, and he decried the texts leaking to the media as an example of the "ridiculously politicized and nasty" climate, adding, "Here's a suggestion: just don't be a--holes. Just treat each other as human beings."
The text messages obtained by the Times revealed how quickly Cruz's widely-panned trip to Cancun came together amid the crisis in Texas, with the senator's wife texting that her house was "FREEZING" and asking, "Anyone can or want to leave for the week? We may go to Cancun." The Times noted the messages were "provided to The New York Times and confirmed by a second person on the thread, who declined to be identified because of the private nature of the texts." Kwame Anthony Appiah, The New York Times Magazine's "in-house ethicist," told the Times the situation "strikes me as a pretty substantial breach of norms about confidentiality."
Cruz, who has since expressed regret over his trip to Cancun, didn't say on the podcast whether he's figured out who was behind the leak, though one can only presume a full, possibly years-long investigation is underway. Brendan Morrow
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Trump uses tariffs to upend Brazil's domestic politics
IN THE SPOTLIGHT By slapping a 50% tariff on Brazil for its criminal investigation into Bolsonaro, the Trump administration is brazenly putting its fingers on the scales of a key foreign election
-
3 questions to ask when deciding whether to repair or replace your broken appliance
the explainer There may be merit to fixing what you already have, but sometimes buying new is even more cost-effective
-
'Trump's authoritarian manipulation of language'
Instant Opinion Vienna has become a 'convenient target for populists' | Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling