Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was spotted boarding a United Airlines plane to California on Tuesday as his home state braces for a severe winter storm that could bring major disruption and life-threatening conditions.
Political commentator Shea Jordan Smith shared a photo of Cruz standing in the packed aisle of the United Airlines airplane headed to the Golden State on his X account.
Smith wrote: “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.”
Cruz’s office has hit back at the post, which has already been viewed more than eight million times, saying that the Senator left Texas on a scheduled work trip that had been arranged before severe weather warnings were issued.
In 2021, Cruz became embroiled in a major scandal after he was caught flying out of Houston Airport to Cancun just as Texas was experiencing a historic winter storm that left millions of people without heating or power.
As temperatures plunged below freezing across the state, Cruz quietly made arrangements to head to warmer climes across the Southern Border.
His departure from Texas, however, made international headlines when another passenger at Houston Intercontinental Airport spotted the Senator and took a photo of him as he headed for his gate.
In 2024, Cruz secured the right to get special security escorts through US airports and hidden TSA screening after slipping in an amendment to the FAA Reauthorization Act.
The amendment requires the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and airport police departments to provide special security escorts for high-profile lawmakers and federal judges through U.S. airports.
The National Weather Service has warned of a “potent” winter storm that could bring an extended period of ice rain to much of Texas over this weekend.
Cold conditions are expected to sweep in from the north on Friday afternoon and continue throughout the weekend. Some northern parts of the state could see significant snowfall, although freezing rain is forecast to cause significant disruption across much of Texas.
As one of the biggest airlines in Houston, it’s no surprise that Cruz chose to fly with United Airlines. The airline has issued extensive travel waivers in preparation for this weekend’s winter storm, and passengers are being warned to expect major disruption.
Even airports accustomed to dealing with snow and freezing rain could struggle to operate, but conditions in the southern states could result in complete ground stops as airports don’t have the resources and equipment to deal with such severe winter weather.
