Cruz makes Cancun joke at CPAC before urging conservatives to challenge cancel culture

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz got a prime spot Friday at the CPAC convention to tout his conservative credentials and perhaps make his case as a 2024 hopeful — but he also used his opening-day showcase to poke fun at his self-inflicted Cancun gaffe.

"I gotta say, Orlando is awesome," Cruz said at the Florida event. "It's not as nice as Cancun. But it's nice." Cruz's quip comes about a week after he and his family went on a short trip to Cancun, Mexico, as other Texans struggled through winter storms that left tens of thousands without heat and electricity. 

In a rousing speech about the Bill of Rights and cancel culture that followed, Cruz urged Americans to "speak out for freedom" by using social media.

"The left believes in a rigid conformity; we believe in diversity," he said.

"You can say whatever you want, no matter how dumb it is," Cruz said, adding: "By the way, in Washington D.C. we test that proposition."

Cruz then went after comedians, targeting "Saturday Night Live" and other late-night programs, calling them "unwatchable."

"Who would want to be around these people?" Cruz asked. "You know, Jerry Seinfeld doesn't [do] comedy anymore, because any joke that's funny is canceled."

He ended his roughly five-minute speech by quoting the main character in the movie "Braveheart," William Wallace, by yelling, "Freedom!"

CPAC's theme this year is "America Uncensored."