Inaccurate post on Gov. Andy Beshear’s travel boosted by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz
A social media post circulating falsehoods about Gov. Andy Beshear’s whereabouts over the weekend as snow and ice descended on Kentucky gained traction after a Republican U.S. Senator gave it a boost.
As Beshear was back in Kentucky Sunday and actively holding press conferences, the online post from an account called the Kentucky Freedom Coalition claimed that the governor was “touring Europe.” Earlier in the week, Beshear was in Europe — including a stop at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland — but he returned Saturday, according to a spokesperson for his office.
“He got back Saturday, and continued to provide real time updates via his social during his travel,” Beshear spokesperson Scottie Ellis wrote to the Herald-Leader.
Ellis did not say what time of day Saturday Beshear returned to the state as of Monday morning. Snow began to fall Saturday afternoon.
In the since-deleted post, the Republican-leaning account posted a week-old picture of Beshear in Helsinki, Finland; the governor originally posted the photo on Jan. 18.
“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 (Beshear) is touring Europe. The media won’t say a word though,” Kentucky Freedom Coalition wrote.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz quoted the post with a questioning face emoji.
Cruz was the subject of intense scrutiny in 2021 when he was spotted on a flight to popular vacation destination Cancun, Mexico, in the middle of an historic ice storm in Texas. Backlash to Cruz’s trip led him to return to Texas within 24 hours, admitting the trip was “obviously a mistake.”
Though the quoted posted was taken down, Cruz’s remains as of midday Monday. Other X users added context to the post, pointing out Beshear was back in the commonwealth.
Beshear’s response to Cruz was swift.
“Sorry for missing this earlier, (Ted Cruz). Been busy leading my state’s emergency response all day. From Kentucky,” Beshear posted to X hours after Cruz’s post.
Beshear and Cruz are both reported to be eyeing presidential runs in 2028.
(The Herald-Leader sued the governor’s office this month in an effort to secure access to his official calendar, as well as the calendars of senior adviser Rocky Adkins and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, under the Kentucky Open Records Act. The governor’s office maintains his calendar is exempt from disclosure.)
This is not the first time Beshear’s travel to Europe — the gathering in Davos, in particular — has been criticized from the political right.
Last year, Beshear met with business leaders on the continent and spoke at the World Economic Forum. The cost of the trip was $81,000; critics like Rep. TJ Roberts, R-Burlington, said that was too much.
At the time, Beshear framed that criticism as petty fixation, particularly coming from a legislature that has continually targeted his powers.
The storm system, Winter Storm Fern, has pelted much of Kentucky with snow, ice and sleet. The state is investigating three deaths in connection with the storm as of Monday morning, Beshear said.
Many businesses, schools and other institutions have been closed early in the week due to the weather.
