Overview
- A photo posted to X by Shea Jordan Smith showed Cruz aboard a flight reportedly bound for Laguna Beach, drawing widespread online backlash.
- A spokesperson said the travel was scheduled weeks in advance and promised he would be back before the weather hit, and Cruz posted Friday that he had returned to Texas.
- In his post, Cruz joked that raising his hand on Texas soil would bring "sunshine, rainbows & unicorns," signaling a mocking response to critics.
- Freezing rain began affecting parts of Texas on Friday as forecasters warned of hazardous conditions, and the National Weather Service urged people to avoid unnecessary travel and prepare for possible multi-day outages.
- FOX Weather projected the storm would affect about 235 million people across roughly 40 states with life-threatening cold, heavy snow and crippling ice.