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Ted Cruz returns to Texas ahead of winter storm: 'Sunshine, rainbows & unicorns'

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Published  January 23, 2026 6:10pm CST
Texas
FOX 26 Houston
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Courtesy: @tedcruz on X, Jan. 23, 2026

The Brief

    • Sen. Ted Cruz says he has returned to Texas ahead of the expected winter storm.
    • Cruz joked online about stopping the storm after criticism of his trip to California.
    • The travel sparked reminders of backlash from his 2021 Cancun trip during a deadly freeze.

HOUSTON - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is back in Texas ahead of the coming winter storm, he announced Friday on social media.

The post on X, formerly Twitter, came after an uproar online by people accusing him of fleeing the state in an apparent repeat of the 2021 winter catastrophe. 

‘Sunshine, rainbows & unicorns’

What they're saying:

"I’ve returned home from my work trip. It’s 66 degrees & beautiful," Cruz said on his public X account. "A storm is expected tomorrow night. But I am reliably informed by Twitter that if I simply raise up my hand on Texas soil, the storm will turn around & sunshine, rainbows & unicorns will emerge. Let it be."

Ted Cruz leaves Texas

The backstory:

A photo of Cruz on a plane to Laguna Beach was posted by Shea Jordan Smith on X Tuesday, shortly after buzz about the winter storm began spreading online. The image of Cruz on the flight was quick to take off on the platform.

It appeared to show the senator heading to coastal California while the rest of the state was preparing for a weekend of possible ice and snow.

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Ted Cruz spotted on a plane to Laguna Beach ahead of Texas winter storm
article

Ted Cruz spotted on a plane to Laguna Beach ahead of Texas winter storm

A photo of Senator Ted Cruz on a plane to Laguna Beach as Texas braces for a winter storm is drawing a lot of attention.

A spokesperson for Cruz confirmed that he did leave town on Tuesday, but said the trip was pre-planned, and promised the senator would be back ahead of the inclement weather.

2021 winter storm controversy

Dig deeper:

In February 2021, Cruz was heavily criticized for vacationing in Cancun, Mexico while millions of his constituents were suffering with no power, heat, or running water.

Temperatures in the Lone Star State plunged to dangerous record lows and overwhelmed the state’s power grid. Then, many without power and heat had to deal with frozen pipes that later flooded their homes.

The storm claimed the lives of an estimated 246 people across the state.

The Source: Information in this article came from Ted Cruz' public X account.

Texas