NEED TO KNOW
-
President Donald Trump has responded to strange claims made by one of his top FEMA officials
-
Gregg Phillips, a far-right conspiracy theorist who now leads FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery, has previously claimed to have teleported multiple times, including once to a Waffle House 50 miles away.
-
“It sounds a little strange,” Trump said when asked about Phillips’ statement, “but I don’t know anything about teleportation or him”
President Donald Trump has responded to strange statements made by one of his top officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Gregg Phillips, a far-right conspiracy theorist who was previously cited by the president for baseless claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election, was appointed to lead FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery in December 2025.
However, a few months ago, Phillips made some statements that raised eyebrows Onwards podcast with Catherine Engelbrecht. He claims that he has teleported multiple times in the past, including once to a Waffle House “50 miles from where I live”.
Trump was asked about Phillips’ viral comments in a brief phone interview with CNN last week. “What does teleportation mean? Is he joking?” the 79-year-old president asked.
The interviewer said Phillips, 65, wasn’t joking. In fact, after his initial comments made headlines, he doubled down on this statement, posting on Truth Social, “God will not be mocked. People can argue with me. Question me. Even mock what they don’t understand… I know what I’ve been through. I know Who I serve.”
In response, Trump admitted: “I don’t know anything about teleportation. … It sounds a little strange, but I don’t know anything about teleportation or him, but I’m going to find out about it right now.”
Despite the president’s claim that he knew “nothing” about Phillips, the former human services official in Mississippi and Texas would theoretically have to go through a vetting process to get a senior position at FEMA, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security formerly led by Kristi Noem. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management provides requirements for federal employee testing on its website.
“The vetting process is critical to maintaining public confidence in the federal workforce,” it said. “It typically includes a background investigation to determine whether an individual can be trusted. The depth of the background investigation increases with the level of responsibility and trustworthiness a position requires.”
Gregg Phillips has claimed that he once teleported to a waffle house 50 miles away
Credit: Al Drago/Getty; GIANRIGO MARLETTA/AFP via Getty
As one of FEMA’s top officials, Phillips’ appointment last winter was a major one, when severe snowstorms and storms caused problems across the country. Since then, his bizarre statements and background in election conspiracy theories have raised concerns about his effectiveness as a nonpartisan crisis manager.
In the same January 2025 episode of OnwardsAccording to CNN, Phillips also threatened violence against former President Joe Biden, saying, “I want to punch that b—- in the mouth right now. He’s a bad, sleazy, terrible human being and he deserves to die. And I hope he does.”
Never miss a story – subscribe PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up to date with the best that EVERYONE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling stories of interest to everyone.
Phillips previously worked with True the Vote, a nonprofit founded by Engelbrecht that focuses on “empowering citizens to protect the election process and protect their votes from fraud.”
They were featured in Dinesh D’Souza’s discredited 2022 documentary 2,000 mules, claimed to have uncovered widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Those claims were later refuted by rulings in more than 50 lawsuits brought by Trump and his supporters.
A CNN KFile review of Phillips also found “deleted posts… directing deeply personal attacks against Democratic officials and spreading conspiracy theories following President Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election.”
A FEMA spokesperson responded to CNN at the time about its claims regarding Phillips with a statement saying: “This is absurd and hardly worth admitting.”
“DHS, FEMA and Mr. Phillips are focused on the important mission of emergency management and keeping the American people safe,” a FEMA spokesperson said. “Many of the quoted comments are taken out of context or represent personal, intimate, lighthearted and somewhat spiritual discussions made in the context of difficult cancer survival; in a private capacity prior to his current role.”
Read the original article about Humans