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Photo Shows Ted Cruz Flying to California Before Texas Winter Storm, Drawing Backlash

The senator says the California trip was pre-planned work travel with a return before the cold front arrives.

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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks to reporters as he rides an escalator at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington, DC.
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A pedestrian walks by a digital billboard truck with an image of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) as it sits in a parking lot near Senator Cruz's home on February 19, 2021 in Houston, Texas. Ted Cruz is facing criticism after he left Texas to go to Cancun, Mexico with his family during an unprecedented winter storm that brought freezing temperatures and widespread power outages throughout the state.

Overview

  • A Jan. 20 image posted by political strategist Shea Jordan Smith showed Cruz on a commercial flight to Southern California, generating millions of views across platforms.
  • The photo originated from TikTok user Raina Esterbrook, who said a friend took it on a Houston-to-Orange County flight bound for John Wayne Airport near Laguna Beach.
  • Flight-tracking data cited by outlets showed two United nonstop flights from Houston’s Bush Intercontinental to John Wayne Airport that day, aligning with the sighting.
  • Cruz’s office said the travel was scheduled weeks earlier as work business and stated he would be back in Texas before the storm is projected to hit.
  • Governor Greg Abbott issued a statewide emergency declaration as forecasters warned of heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain later in the week, prompting renewed comparisons to Cruz’s 2021 Cancún trip.