Ted Cruz may be a hack who voted to overturn the election in favor of the guy who once called his wife ugly. But he isn’t stupid.

That makes the Texas Republican’s decision to fly to Cancun in the middle of a pandemic, and while his constituents are forced to boil snow for drinking water all the more curious. At first glance, one would assume that one of the most recognizable faces in Washington simply thought he’d get away with jaunting to an airport, chilling in the United Airlines lounge, heading to Cancun, and then returning to Texas without anyone noticing. But given Cruz’s flair for theatrics, reality could be a whole lot more cynical.