Overview
- An image shared by strategist Shea Jordan Smith went viral after appearing to show the Texas senator on a Jan. 20 commercial flight out of Houston.
- The photo’s original source was a TikTok post by Raina Esterbrook, whose friend said the picture was taken on a flight from Houston to Southern California.
- Cruz’s spokesperson said the travel was scheduled weeks earlier for work and asserted he will be back in Texas before hazardous weather reaches the state.
- Local reporting noted United flights that day from Houston to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, while clarifying that Laguna Beach has no airport and destination details remain uncertain.
- Governor Greg Abbott issued a statewide disaster declaration as forecasters warned of snow, ice, and dangerous cold starting Friday, prompting renewed comparisons to Cruz’s 2021 Cancún trip and his 2025 absence during deadly floods.