U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz was allegedly spotted on a flight heading for Southern California on Tuesday. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Gage Skidmore
Again, Ted?
As a severe winter storm barrels toward Texas, political strategist Shea Jordan Smith tweeted out what he said was a photo of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz boarding a plane Tuesday to Southern California.
“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,” Houston-based Smith said.
As many remember, Cruz faced a shitstorm of criticism for making a now-infamous 2021 trip to Cancun during Winter Storm Uri, a disaster that plunged much of Texas into darkness for days and killed hundreds of people. In the wake of the incident many detractors referred to the senator as “Cancun Cruz,” a nickname that stuck for months.
Cruz lived up to the nickname yet again last summer by vacationing in Greece during the deadly floods in the Texas Hill Country.
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
Although Tuesday’s Cruz sighting has been reported by other outlets, the senator’s office has not responded to the Current’s request for comment confirming its authenticity or when Cruz plans to return to the Lone Star State, which is bracing for severe weather.
Cruz’s alleged trip to Laguna Beach — expected temps in the low 60s today — comes as Gov. Greg Abbott has activated the Texas Division of Emergency Management to prepare emergency resources as parts of the state are likely to experience snow, ice, and freezing rain.
As of press time, North Texas is expected to get the worst of the storm, including freezing rain, sleet and snow. In San Antonio, the National Weather Service is giving a 18% chance of at least 1/10 of an inch of freezing rain accumulating early Saturday through Sunday, according to the latest forecast.
Social media users were quick to comment on the feeling of deja vu evoked by the online photo of Cruz boarding the plane.
“I’m noticing a pattern,” X user @Logically_JC commented.
“Like clockwork,” chimed in the anti-Trump Lincoln Project.
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