Sen. Rick Scott is facing backlash on social media after it was discovered he tweeted about President Biden vacationing in Delaware from a yacht in Italy.
Scott (R-Fla.), who also chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, posted the familiar attack Monday.
“Another week of President Biden vacationing in Delaware vs. working at the White House,” he wrote. “If he loves to travel so much, I’ve got some suggestions as to where he should go next.”
Scott then posted a poll with three options, all of them stating “The Southern Border.”
However, Axios revealed Tuesday that Scott is spending part of the August recess with family on the luxury vessel in Europe.
NRSC spokesman Chris Hartline confirmed the story in a statement: “Sen. Scott took a couple days to celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary with his wife and family – a trip that was planned more than a year ago.”
The story has drawn criticism from liberals, who noted that Scott opted to take time off with Republicans polling poorly in what should be advantageous Senate races in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Arizona.
“Yes this is Rick Scott tweeting from a luxury yacht in Italy while Republican senate candidates implode across battleground states. Priceless,” wrote John Anzalone, a Biden pollster who has also worked on some Democratic gubernatorial campaigns.
“Rachel Maddow Show” producer Steve Benen suggested that news of the trip was leaked by Republicans not happy with Scott’s work on securing GOP control of the Senate.
“The problem for Rick Scott is not just that the NRSC chair headed to Italy to vacation on a yacht while his candidates struggled,” Benen tweeted. “It’s also that someone familiar with his travel itinerary — staffer? fellow GOP leader? — wants us all to know this.”
CNN reporter and author Edward Isaac-Dovere piled on: “People who are close enough to Rick Scott to know his travel plans are leaking that the Senate Republicans’ campaign chair is taking a vacation on a luxury yacht in Italy.”
According to Axios, the NRSC reported just $23.2 million in cash on hand as of the end of July, less than half the $54.1 million their Democratic rivals had. The outlet also noted that the Republican organization had spent more than $40 million earlier in the election cycle, depriving it of resources for the home stretch of the campaign.
The political director for the NRSC, Stu Sandler, tweeted the Axios report was “truly idiotic” and slammed those criticizing Scott for celebrating his 50th anniversary.
“When you get to 50, I hope you get equal treatment,” Sandler wrote.
Scott, who previously served as governor of Florida, was elected to the Senate in 2018.
Republicans are defending 20 Senate seats this cycle and trying to win back one seat via special election, while Democrats are defending 14 seats.
The Senate is split 50-50 and Republicans need to win a net of just one seat in November to retake control of the chamber.