March 20, 2026 — Washington D.C. — As millions of Americans brace for hurricane season and natural disasters, the man President Donald Trump appointed to oversee the federal government's disaster response has a problem: he believes he has been involuntarily teleported — including once to a Waffle House restaurant 50 miles from where he was standing.
Meet Gregg Phillips — director of FEMA's Office of Response and Recovery — one of the most consequential positions in the entire federal government. He controls billions of dollars in disaster aid. He oversees search-and-rescue operations after hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. And he says teleportation is real, he has experienced it multiple times, and that it is, in his words: "scary, but so real."
🏠 The Waffle House Incident: In His Own Words
During a January 2025 episode of the podcast Onward — co-hosted by conservative activist Catherine Engelbrecht — Phillips described what he presented as a factual account of involuntary teleportation.
"I was with my boys one time and I was telling them I was gonna go to Waffle House," Phillips said. "And I ended up at a Waffle House — this was in Georgia — and I end up at a Waffle House like 50 miles away from where I was."
When his companions asked where he was, Phillips said he replied: "Waffle House in Rome, Georgia." Their response: "That's not possible, you just left here a moment ago."
Phillips insisted: "But it was possible. It was real."
He went on to describe the experience in detail: "Teleporting is no fun. It's no fun because you don't really know what you're doing. You don't really understand it, it's scary, but yet — so real. And you know it's happening but you can't do anything about it, and so you just go, you just go with the ride. And wow, what just an incredible adventure it all was."
🚗 The Second Teleportation: His Car Was 'Lifted Up'
The Waffle House incident was not the only time Phillips claimed to have been teleported. He described a second incident while driving in which he said his car was "lifted up" and he was transported approximately 40 miles from Albany, Georgia — before being set down in a ditch near a Baptist church.
"I landed in a ditch by a Baptist church," Phillips said, describing the disorientation of finding himself suddenly in an unfamiliar location. He said he had teleported more than once, and that the experiences left him questioning whether they were "evil" or "good."
CNN's KFile, which first reported the teleportation claims, noted that Phillips did not appear to be describing a medical episode, a blackout, or any conventional explanation. He insisted he was traveling from location to location without experiencing the passage of time.
👤 Who Is Gregg Phillips? A Far-Right Activist With No Disaster Experience
Phillips was appointed in December 2025 to lead FEMA's Office of Response and Recovery — a role that involves decisions affecting search-and-rescue operations, emergency aid distribution, infrastructure restoration, and the distribution of billions of dollars in disaster assistance.
His path to the job was not through disaster management. Phillips rose to national prominence as a far-right conservative activist who spread conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election — claiming without evidence that millions of fraudulent votes had been cast. His election fraud claims were repeatedly debunked by courts, election officials, and independent fact-checkers.
According to reporting by The Washington Post in December, Phillips had no formal background in disaster relief when he was appointed, despite claiming in a LinkedIn post that his on-the-ground disaster and emergency work had a long history.
Phillips also has a troubled financial history in state government. Texas confirmed in 2017 that Phillips was no longer authorized to conduct business with the state. An investigation into allegations of financial misconduct connected to his work in Mississippi's Department of Human Services determined he had "facilitated the appearance of impropriety, facilitating an erosion of the public trust."
😤 Violent Rhetoric: 'I Would Like to Punch That B*tch in the Mouth'
The teleportation claims were not the only disturbing findings in CNN's KFile review of Phillips' social media and podcast history. The investigation found that Phillips:
- 💬 Said of former President Joe Biden in January 2025: "I would like to punch that b*tch in the mouth right now"
- 💬 Said of Biden separately: he "deserves to die"
- 🗳️ Spread 2020 election fraud conspiracy theories across multiple platforms
- 🗑️ Deleted numerous posts making personal attacks on Democratic officials after his FEMA appointment became public
- 🤝 Was a longtime partner of True the Vote — a Texas-based election conspiracy group with a paper trail of suspicious financial maneuvering
FEMA dismissed CNN's concerns, saying: "This is so silly it's barely worth acknowledging." A spokesperson said many of the comments were "taken out of context or represent personal, informal, jovial, and somewhat spiritual discussions made in the context of barely surviving cancer; in a private capacity prior to his current role."
⚠️ FEMA Under Stress: The Bigger Picture
Phillips' appointment came at an already turbulent moment for FEMA. Under outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem — who Trump fired in March after mounting controversies — the agency had been gutted of experienced career staff. Noem had called FEMA "partisan, bloated and broken" and threatened to scrap it altogether.
The sweeping reforms drove out thousands of disaster workers, including many seasoned leaders. When a massive winter storm struck the country in January, FEMA's leadership — including Phillips — found themselves managing one of their first major tests with a severely depleted workforce.
One FEMA staffer warned The Washington Post that placing individuals without relevant expertise in leadership roles could have life-or-death consequences. "There is no genuine effort to make sure that we can help people in their time of need," the staffer said. "Americans will lose their lives."
😮 FEMA Officials: 'He's Our Best Hope — I Can't Believe I'm Saying That'
In a remarkable twist, multiple FEMA officials who were initially openly skeptical of Phillips told CNN that — to their genuine surprise — his hands-on involvement during the January storm response had softened some of their doubts.
"Gregg Phillips is FEMA's best hope at this moment," one high-ranking FEMA official told CNN. "I can't believe I'm saying that."
Phillips reportedly sent a poem to FEMA staff as his first communication to the broader agency — a move that, per officials, was better received than expected. Whether that goodwill survives the teleportation revelations and the congressional scrutiny now bearing down on him remains to be seen.
🏛️ Congress Responds: Phillips Set to Testify
Phillips is set to testify before the House Homeland Security Committee. His appearance before Congress comes after a disastrous performance by former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem before the Senate — where she was grilled over why her agency had been slow-walking aid funds and recovery resources to areas affected by natural disasters.
Given the bipartisan outrage that characterized Noem's Senate hearing, analysts suggest Phillips should not expect a friendly reception on Capitol Hill.
📊 Key Facts at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| 👤 Name | Gregg Phillips |
| 🏢 Title | Director, FEMA Office of Response and Recovery |
| 📅 Appointed | December 2025 |
| 🎙️ Teleportation claim | Waffle House, Rome, Georgia — 50 miles away |
| 🚗 Second claim | Car lifted 40 miles, landed in ditch near church |
| 💰 Budget overseen | Billions in federal disaster aid |
| 🏛️ Background | Far-right activist, election fraud conspiracy promoter |
| ⚠️ Experience | No formal disaster relief background |
| 💬 FEMA response | "This is so silly it's barely worth acknowledging" |
| 📅 Congressional hearing | House Homeland Security Committee — upcoming |
Sources: CNN KFile (March 20, 2026), The Daily Beast (March 20), Rolling Stone (March 20), Raw Story (March 20), AOL/Mirror US (March 20), Washington Post (December 2025) — all citing original CNN KFile investigation by Andrew Kaczynski.
Last updated: March 23, 2026.
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