Caroline Cruz, the daughter of Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, said in a now viral TikTok video that while there are certainly perks to being the daughter of a famous politician, there are downsides, too, including the fact that she doesn't agree with "most of his views."
The teenager's remarks come after she went viral once Maddie Jenkins, the daughter of a Dallas County judge, posted a video commenting on how Caroline looks miserable in the photo used for the Cruz family Christmas card.
You can hear what she said in the video below.
Caroline admits that there are downsides to having a father with a high level of political notoriety:
"Some of the bad things are, I literally have to have security following me everywhere. Like, if I want to go on a walk through the neighborhood, like to my friend's house or something, I have to have, like, two security guards behind me the entire time."
She emphasized that she doesn't agree with her father's beliefs and that she has been judged for his behavior:
"Also, a lot of people judge me based upon him at first glance but I really disagree with most of his views.”
And she even found time to comment on the family Christmas card, revealing that her parents had actually edited her shirt in the photo before the card was sent out to her father's supporters.
"This is how it's supposed to look," she said, showing a selfie of her wearing a crop top and noting that "they literally made my shirt longer."
Caroline's remarks–particularly the bit about her disagreeing with many of her father's views–attracted considerable attention online, with many praising her for not following in his footsteps.
Senator Cruz has proven one of the more controversial members of Congress, openly backing former President Donald Trump's falsehoods about the integrity of the 2020 general election amid his decision to object to the certification of President Joe Biden's win.
Cruz has continued to support Trump despite the contentious history between them, including the moment during the 2016 campaign when Trump criticized Cruz's wife, Heidi Cruz, by comparing her looks to his wife, Melania, a former model.
Trump also once suggested that Cruz's father may have been involved in the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy, claiming that Cruz's father was with Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald "prior to Oswald being, you know, shot."
In addition to being highly criticized for downplaying the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cruz dealt with considerable national backlash after he flew to Cancún while millions of people went without food and water as a result of the Texas power disaster, a decision he refused to take responsibility for, attributing criticism to "Trump withdrawal."
@EdwardLawrence/X
