Jet-Set Senator: Ted Cruz Roasted Online for Jetting to California Before Massive Winter Storm Hits Texas
Sen. Ted Cruz faced backlash after a photo of him aboard a United Airlines flight to California went viral.
Jan. 25 2026, Published 2:30 p.m. ET
Sen. Ted Cruz has pushed back at critics after being slammed for leaving Texas on a work trip to California just days before a major winter storm threatened the state, RadarOnline.com can report.
His quick escape from the state prompted comparisons to his controversial 2021 trip to Cancun during Winter Storm Uri.
Returning Home
Critics quickly compared the trip to his infamous 2021 Cancun vacation during Winter Storm Uri.
The Texas Republican said he had already returned home when backlash erupted over a viral photo showing him standing in the aisle of a crowded United Airlines flight reportedly headed to Laguna Beach.
"I've returned home from my work trip," the 55-year-old senator posted on X alongside a photo of himself raising his hand toward the sky.
"It's 66 degrees & beautiful. A storm is expected tomorrow night. But I am reliably informed by Twitter that if I simply raise up my hand on Texas soil, the storm will turn around & sunshine, rainbows & unicorns will emerge. Let it be."
The Criticism
Cruz said he had already returned to Texas and responded sarcastically on social media.
The image quickly sparked a storm of criticism online, with many users likening the scene to Cruz's 2021 family vacation to Cancun, which he cut short after public outrage as Texans endured power outages and freezing temperatures.
Cruz later acknowledged that the trip was a "mistake".
The senator has faced similar scrutiny in the past for traveling during emergencies.
Last summer, he was criticized for being in Greece while severe flooding killed 136 people in Texas' Hill Country.
Cruz's office moved quickly to address the latest controversy, saying the California trip had been planned before the storm was forecast and was related to official work.
"Senator Cruz is currently on pre-planned work travel that was scheduled weeks in advance," a spokesperson told KHOU. "He will be back in Texas before the storm is projected to hit."
Winter Storm
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The senator has previously drawn criticism for traveling during emergencies.
The powerful winter system began hitting Texas Friday afternoon, knocking out power to thousands of residents and coating highways with freezing rain, sleet and ice.
The storm was expected to move eastward through the Midwest and into the East Coast over the weekend, according to NBC 5.
Forecasters warned the weather event could be severe across a wide swath of the country, calling it a "widespread potentially catastrophic event" stretching from Texas to the Carolinas.
As conditions worsened, Cruz's social media response drew mixed reactions, with supporters praising his return while critics accused him of downplaying concerns and repeating past mistakes. The incident underscored how the senator's travel decisions during crises continue to draw heightened scrutiny following his earlier missteps during natural disasters.
