Amid catastrophic flash floods in central Texas over the 2025 Fourth of July holiday weekend, a rumor spread online that one of the state's U.S. senators, Ted Cruz, continued to sightsee while on vacation in Greece the day after disaster struck his constituents.
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Many of these posts included photos allegedly showing Cruz at the famous Greek temple.
While it is true that Cruz was on vacation in Greece when the flooding hit, it was not possible to independently verify the authenticity of these images at the time of publication, nor was it possible to definitively determine whether the senator visited the Parthenon amid the flooding. In a emailed statement attributed to a "Cruz office spokesperson," the senator's team did not directly address Cruz's purported Parthenon trip — despite twice being asked point-blank about it.
"The Senator was already in the middle of preplanned family vacation travel overseas when the flooding occurred on July 4," the spokesperson said, adding that "within hours," he spoke by phone with relevant Texas officials and U.S. President Donald Trump to "ensure that the maximum federal assets were available for search and rescue."
"He and his team worked closely with local officials and with families of missing girls throughout that time," the statement continued. "He promptly booked a flight back home. Given the time difference, he left Athens on Sunday morning [July 6] and was back in Texas that night. And he was in Kerrville on the ground early Monday morning." (Kerr County has reported by far the highest number of fatalities due to the flood, and Kerrville is the largest city in Kerr County.)
Cruz's office also did not respond to a question about when, exactly, the senator planned his vacation.
Here's what we know about the senator's possible tour of the Parthenon.
Origin of rumor
On July 6, a Bluesky user, @rocman41.bsky.social, posted an image of Cruz, alleging it was taken at the Parthenon on July 5. The flash flood hit
We are in Athens, Greece with our entire family. Children and grandchildren. Guess who was found with his family at the Parthenon yesterday. TED F'ING CRUZ.
[image or embed]— Tom Rocchio (@rocman41.bsky.social) July 6, 2025 at 8:42 AM
A reverse-image search for the photo returned no results from before July 6, indicating the photo had not been posted before this Bluesky user did. On July 7, the Houston Chronicle reported (archived) that the image's photographer, Michael Rocchio, told the newspaper that he took the image about 6 p.m. local time in Athens on July 5, which would be about 10 a.m. CST on the same day. The Chronicle reported that Rocchio is "not a Texan and is openly critical of Cruz's political beliefs."
"Thirty minutes later, local officials in Kerr County confirmed in a news conference that 27 people were dead and dozens more were missing. The death count has since grown to more than 80," the Chronicle's story said. (As of July 8, over 100 people had been confirmed dead.)
The news conference in question has a 10:27 a.m. CST time-stamp on the city of Kerrville's Facebook page, matching up with the Chronicle's timeline.
On July 7, The Daily Beast also published (archived) a story with the headline: "Ted Cruz Caught on Vacation Abroad During Texas Tragedy—Again." That story included an image of Cruz in which his appearance and clothes looked similar to the photo posted on Bluesky. The Daily Beast cited an anonymous tourist who reportedly said this to the news site:
"He was with his family and a lone security guard," said an eyewitness at the Parthenon. "As he walked past us, I simply said, '20 kids dead in Texas and you take a vacation?'
"He sort of grunted and walked on. His wife shot me a dirty look. Then they continued on with their tour guide."
The Daily Beast reporters did not immediately return an inquiry seeking to verify the authenticity of their story.
Snopes has previously confirmed that Cruz flew to Cancun, Mexico, during a winter storm energy crisis.