Trump Asks ‘Was He Kidding?’ After Hearing FEMA Official’s Claim About Teleporting to Waffle House: ‘Sounds a Little Strange’

YOU NEED TO KNOW

• President Donald Trump responds to bizarre claims from a top FEMA official

• Far-right conspiracy theorist Gregg Phillips, who now runs FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery, has previously claimed to have been irradiated multiple times; including one at a Waffle House 50 miles away.

• “It sounds a little weird, but I don’t know anything about teleportation or anything like that,” Trump said when asked about Phillips’ comments.

Minister Donald Trump replied strange claims It was made by one of the top officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Far-right conspiracy theorist Gregg Phillips, who was previously cited by the president for his false claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election, was named head of FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery in December 2025.

However, months ago, Phillips made statements that raised some eyebrows on this issue. Forward Podcast with Catherine Engelbrecht. He claimed to have been teleported multiple times in the past; including one at a Waffle House “about 50 miles from where I am.”

In a brief phone conversation, Trump was asked about Phillips’ now-viral comments. CNN last week. “What does teleporting mean? Was he kidding?” the 79-year-old president asked.

The interviewer said Phillips, 65, was not joking. In fact, after the first comments hit the headlines, doubled down on the claimairing on Real Social“God will not be mocked. People can argue with me. Question me. Even make fun of those 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 kind of weird, but I don’t know anything about teleportation or anything about that, but I’m going to find out right now.”

Despite the president’s claims that he “knew nothing” about Phillips, the former human services official in Mississippi and Texas would theoretically have undergone extensive vetting to earn a senior position at FEMA, which previously fell under the jurisdiction of the Kristi Noem-led Department of Homeland Security. U.S. Office of Personnel Management lays out requirements for vetting federal employees website.

“The review process is critical to maintaining public confidence in the federal workforce,” the report reads. “It often involves a background investigation to determine whether a person can be trusted. The depth of the background investigation increases with the level of responsibility and trust a position requires.”

Phillips’ appointment last winter as one of the top FEMA officials was a crucial hire as blizzards and severe storms caused problems across the country. His outlandish claims and history of peddling election conspiracy theories have since raised concerns about how effective he could be in a nonpartisan crisis management role.

In the same January 2025 episode ForwardPhillips also threatened violence against the former president, according to CNN Joe Biden“I’d like to punch that bitch in the mouth right now. She’s a disgusting, s—y, terrible person and she deserves to die. And I hope she does.”

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Phillips had previously worked with True the Vote, a nonprofit organization Engelbrecht founded; this organization claims to focus on “empowering citizens to secure the electoral process and protect their votes from fraud.”

They appeared in Dinesh D’Souza’s discredited documentary from 2022 2,000 Mules, He claims to have uncovered widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. These allegations were denied by later decisions. more than 50 cases It was brought by Trump and his supporters.

A. CNN KFile review Phillips also found “deleted posts directing deeply personal attacks against Democratic officials and spreading a conspiracy theory following President Donald Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election.”

A FEMA spokesperson responded to CNN At the time, he said of his allegations against Phillips: “This is so stupid it’s not even worth admitting.”

“DHS, FEMA, and Mr. Phillips remain focused on the critical mission of emergency management and ensuring the safety of the American people,” a FEMA spokesperson said. “Many of the comments quoted are taken out of context or represent personal, informal, lighthearted, and somewhat spiritual discussions made in the context of barely surviving cancer in a private capacity prior to his current assignment.”

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