Official who claims to have once teleported to Waffle House on leave at FEMA

Administration Official who claims to have once teleported to Waffle House on leave at FEMA Comments: by Rachel Frazin - 06/26/26 2:16 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Rachel Frazin - 06/26/26 2:16 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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A Trump administration appointee who claims to have once teleported to a Waffle House is now on leave from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

A FEMA spokesperson confirmed in a statement to The Hill that Gregg Phillips, who was leading a key disaster response office, is taking “leave for personal reasons.”

“Since joining the agency, he has played a pivotal role in stabilizing the Office of Response and Recovery and advancing key reforms to strengthen our mission delivery,” said the spokesperson, who did not provide their name.

They did not explicitly specify whether the leave was temporary or permanent. But they said that David Arnold, who reportedly left the agency earlier this year, will lead the office in an acting capacity “to guide the agency through this transition.”

The Washington Post first reported Phillips’s departure. A source told the news outlet that he was asked to step down because of public perception.

CNN first reported in March that Phillips claimed on a podcast to have once teleported about 50 miles to a Waffle House in Georgia.

His exit comes amid broader changes at FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security that oversees it as Marwayne Mullin takes the helm of the department after the departure of Kristi Noem.

Before joining FEMA, Phillips gained notoriety for claims about noncitizens voting in the 2016 election.

The office he was overseeing at the agency distributes manufactured housing after disasters, provides assistance to communities after disasters or terrorism, coordinates disaster response and oversees FEMA’s field operations.

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