There’s a storm brewing in Texas — and on social media. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is again being mocked online after being photographed on a flight away from his home state as it braces for an intense winter storm.
The photo, which has been viewed more than 8 million times on X, reminded many users of a similar image that went viral five years earlier as Cruz and his wife boarded a flight to Cancún during a devastating ice storm, sparking a wave of controversy and giving the senator unflattering nicknames such as Cancún Cruz and Flyin’ Ted.
The latest image shows Cruz standing in the busy aisle of a plane on his way to California and was postedon X Tuesday by political strategist Shea Jordan Smith.
“Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was spotted earlier today, Jan. 20, 2026, on a plane heading to Laguna Beach as the state of Texas braces for a rare ice threat and arctic cold front,” Smith wrote.
A spokesperson for Cruz promised he would be back before the storm hit, saying in an emailed statement that he was on “pre-planned work travel that was scheduled weeks in advance.”
Smith said that he had come across the image on TikTok and that Cruz’s office had confirmed he was headed to Laguna Beach. John Wayne Airport, in Orange County, is the closest airport to Laguna Beach.
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
The sighting prompted a wave of jokes and criticism on social media, with many users mocking Cruz’s apparent habit of being out of town during extreme weather events.
“Fled Cruz is at it again,” wroteone person on X. “This is like the Houston version of the waffle house index,” jokedanother, referring to the restaurant chain known for its 24/7 service. It’s ability to stay open has becomean informal metric for the severity of bad weather events.
Google search data early Wednesday showed a 350 percent increase in searches for Cruz’s name in relation to the winter storm. The Houston Chronicle wrote in a tongue-in-cheek article that searching for Cruz’s location is becoming part of a pre-storm ritual for Texans, along with ensuring they have enough gas and bottled water. “If Ted Cruz leaves the state before potential bad weather, we’re about to get walloped,” it said.
“Ted is the new Groundhog. If he’s seen in an airport in the second week of February then there will be three more weeks of winter and a cold snap in Texas,” teased one Reddit user.
Others applaudedthe politician for seemingly flying economy, and some didn’t understand the fuss. “What is a U.S. Senator supposed to do about an ice storm? You people are weird,” wrote one individual. Another asked if people expected him to “come clear your driveway”
A massive winter storm is expectedto grip swaths of the United States starting Friday, spreading heavy snow and ice across a 2,000-mile stretch from the southern Plains and Southwest to the East Coast. The storm will make travel dangerous and could cause long-lasting power outages, bringing with it life-threatening cold temperatures. Freezing rain, sleet and snow are expected across parts of Texas until Sunday, according to the latest update from the National Weather Service.
The 2021 ice storm ultimately left more than 200 dead in the stateand millions of Texans without power or safe drinking water. Cruz’s decision to leave during the storm sparked calls for his resignationby some Democrats and public backlash, as he became an object of scorn for Texans already incensed by the state’s response to the crisis.
“Look, it was obviously a mistake,” Cruz told reportersat the time. “In hindsight, I wouldn’t have done it. I was trying to be a dad,” he said, noting the trip was partly at the urging of his daughters.
“From the moment I sat on the plane, I began really second-guessing that decision,” he added. “Leaving when so many Texans were hurting didn’t feel right, and so I changed my return flight and flew back on the first available flight I could take.”
In 2025, Cruz was also mocked for being on vacation in Greeceas deadly floods hit Texas Hill Country.
He was spotted visiting the Parthenonin Athens, before returning soon after. Floods in Central Texas last July eventually left at least 135 dead, including at least 37 children.
His office said at the time he “was already in the middle of preplanned family vacation travel overseas when the flooding occurred,” and that he and his team had been working with local officials and the families of missing children “throughout that time,” the Texas Tribune reported.
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