Ted Cruz's Team Responds To Backlash After He's Spotted On Flight Out Of Texas As State Braces For Winter Storm

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz's team was forced to respond to criticisms after he was photographed on a flight to California on Tuesday as Texas prepares for an arctic cold front and potentially severe winter storm conditions—events that are reminding people of Cruz's now-infamous trip to Cancún.

Political strategist Shea Jordan Smith shared an image of Cruz taken on January 20 that shows him "on a plane heading to Laguna Beach as the state of Texas braces for a rare ice threat and arctic cold front."

You can see Smith's post and the image below.

@shea_jordan/X

In response to a request from reporters with My San Antonio, Cruz's spokesperson said Cruz "is currently on pre-planned work travel that was scheduled weeks in advance," adding that Cruz "will be back in Texas before the storm is projected to hit."

Cruz, via his official X account, shared an update from the Texas Division of Emergency Management in which he urged his followers to keep their eyes on updates from the organization and the National Weather Service, adding:

"My team and I are monitoring the incoming cold front that could bring snow, ice, and disruptive weather conditions to parts of the Lone Star State later this week."

You can see his post below.

But the timing could not be worse.

Cruz faced considerable national backlash after he flew to Cancún while millions of people went without food and water as a result of the February 2021 Texas power disaster. At least 246 people were killed directly or indirectly; some estimates suggested as many as 702 people were killed as a result of the crisis.

Cruz claimed he went to Cancún to accompany his daughters, an apology that did not sit well with his critics. He insisted that his only faux pas had been simply "wanting to be a good dad," claiming he'd only accompanied them for a single night before flying back to Texas. However, Cruz’s social media accounts had not acknowledged any official travel.

While the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) says the grid is better prepared following upgrades made after 2021, lingering concerns have prompted residents to stock up on generators and emergency supplies.

Cruz has been mocked in response.

Cruz just can't seem to stop traveling when natural disasters strike his state. Last year, he was photographed visiting Greece with his family when floods struck struck Texas over the Fourth of July weekend. At least 135 people died during this weather event.

Among the victims were 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp straddling the Guadalupe River. Cruz was seen visiting the Parthenon in Athens with his wife, Heidi, just a day after Camp Mystic announced that more than 20 girls had gone missing in the floodwaters.

At approximately 6 p.m. local time on July 5 (11 a.m. ET), more than 24 hours after the Guadalupe River overflowed, the couple was spotted waiting in line outside the famed historical landmark.