Austin, Texas — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said Friday that he has returned to Texas after a photo showing him aboard a plane circulated widely online as the state prepared for a significant winter storm.
Cruz addressed the criticism in a post on the social platform X, sharing a photo of himself back in Texas and noting that severe weather was expected to arrive later in the weekend. He joked that online commentators appeared to believe his presence alone could reverse the forecast, a remark that drew mixed reactions.
The controversy began after an image posted on January 20 appeared to show Cruz on a flight reportedly headed to Laguna Beach, California. The post quickly went viral, amassing millions of views and prompting comparisons to Cruz’s highly criticized 2021 trip to Cancun during a historic winter storm that left millions of Texans without power.
In a statement to KXAN, Cruz’s office said the travel was a pre-planned work trip that had been scheduled weeks in advance. Supporters dismissed the backlash as overblown, while critics mocked the timing and revived memories of the earlier storm, arguing that elected officials should remain in-state during potential emergencies.
Cruz has previously acknowledged that his 2021 travel decision was a mistake, apologizing after initially defending the trip as one taken to accompany his daughters.
The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings across much of Texas, forecasting freezing rain, sleet, and frigid temperatures through the weekend, though officials say conditions are not expected to reach the severity seen in 2021.
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