Ted Cruz just tried to call out a Democratic governor for doing what he famously did in 2021, it backfired spectacularly

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear laughed off Senator Ted Cruz’s attempt to criticize him this week. Cruz shared a fake social media post that claimed Beshear was touring Europe while his state faced a winter storm emergency.

According to Mediaite, Cruz shared a now deleted post from the Kentucky Freedom Coalition on X, accompanied only by a “thinking” emoji. The post showed a photo of Beshear and his wife at a church in Europe. It claimed the governor was traveling abroad while Kentucky dealt with dangerous snow and ice.

The Coalition’s post said, “The liberal media went wild when Ted Cruz wasn’t in Texas for the major freeze a few years back. Well, Kentucky is in a declared emergency and @AndyBeshearKY is touring Europe. The media won’t say a word though.”

Cruz’s attack highlights his own controversial travel history

Beshear quickly shut down the false claim. He replied, “Sorry for missing this earlier, @tedcruz. Been busy leading my state’s emergency response all day. From Kentucky.” His response made it clear he was exactly where he needed to be.

The attack turned out to be completely false. The photo of Beshear in Europe was actually taken a full week earlier. Reports showed that Beshear gave a briefing in Kentucky on the same day Cruz posted the claim.

Beshear had been out of the country the previous week, but not for vacation. He traveled to Europe with a “Team Kentucky” group for the World Economic Forum. He met with business leaders in Switzerland, Sweden, and Finland for economic development before returning home well before the storm arrived.

Cruz’s attempt backfired because of his own history. In 2021, millions of Texans were left without power and water during a severe winter storm. Cruz was spotted flying to Cancun, Mexico, while his constituents struggled in freezing temperatures.

Cruz returned to Texas within 24 hours after people noticed his trip. He later apologized, saying, “It was obviously a mistake, and in hindsight, I wouldn’t have done it.” The incident has clearly made him sensitive about travel during storms. 

Just this week, someone posted that Cruz was seen on a plane to Laguna Beach on January 20, 2026, as Texas prepared for an ice storm. People were upset about Cruz’s latest travel amid another storm, given his past behavior.

His team quickly explained it was a work trip scheduled weeks earlier, and a spokesperson confirmed, “He will be back in Texas before the storm is projected to hit.” Cruz has faced scrutiny from Republicans on other matters too, particularly when Republicans questioned Jack Smith’s Trump investigation, showing the senator often finds himself in controversial positions.