Sen. Ted Cruz has once again found himself at the center of public attention after being seen boarding a flight out of Texas just days before a major winter storm is expected to hit the state.
A photo shared on social media on Jan. 20 showed the Texas Republican on a flight to Southern California. The image was posted by political strategist Shea Jordan Smith and quickly began circulating online, reigniting criticism tied to Cruz’s past travel during weather emergencies.
Cruz’s office confirmed the trip, telling USA TODAY and Houston Public Media that the travel was pre-planned and work-related, scheduled weeks in advance. According to his spokesperson, the senator is expected to return to Texas before the storm reaches the state.
The social media post suggested Cruz was headed to Laguna Beach, California. While that specific destination remains unconfirmed, aviation records note that Laguna Beach does not have its own airport. The closest major airport is John Wayne Airport in Orange County. Smith has not yet clarified the exact destination.
Still, the timing of the trip struck a nerve with many Texans, largely because of Cruz’s history. In 2021, he faced intense backlash after flying to Cancún, Mexico, during a deadly winter storm that left millions of Texans without power. Cruz later admitted that trip was “obviously a mistake.”
More recently, Cruz was abroad on a pre-scheduled vacation in Greece when flash floods devastated parts of the Texas Hill Country in 2025. His office said he booked a return flight as soon as possible once the severity of the flooding became clear.
This latest episode comes as forecasters warn of a massive winter storm system expected to stretch across a large portion of the United States. According to the National Weather Service, confidence is growing that a major storm will impact southern and eastern regions from Friday through Sunday, bringing snow, sleet, and freezing rain across a roughly 2,000-mile span.
Texas is among the states in the storm’s potential path. Meteorologists say an arctic cold front could move into the state later this week, raising the risk of freezing rain and dangerous ice conditions in several areas, including Houston. State and local officials are already preparing warming shelters and stockpiling road salt as a precaution.
AccuWeather has warned that the exact track of the storm will determine where the worst conditions develop. Residents from the southern Plains through the Mid-Atlantic and into New England are being urged to monitor forecasts closely, especially given the potential for ice accumulation.
Despite the criticism, Cruz’s office has emphasized that he will be back in Texas before the storm arrives. “Senator Cruz is currently on pre-planned work travel that was scheduled weeks in advance,” a spokesperson said. “He will be back in Texas before the storm is projected to hit.”
Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was spotted earlier today, January 20, 2026, on a plane heading to Laguna Beach as the state of Texas braces for a rare ice threat and arctic cold front. pic.twitter.com/lVTcqP8LR4
— Shea Jordan Smith (@shea_jordan) January 21, 2026
For now, the image of Cruz boarding a plane has once again fueled debate over leadership, optics, and expectations during emergencies — a familiar political storm unfolding just as a real one approaches Texas.
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