FEMA official’s teleporting claims end in job exit

Gregg Phillips, a far-right activist installed as a high-ranking FEMA official, is out of a job after he stepped away from the agency’s Office of Response and Recovery. Phillips had previously described “teleporting” into ditches and even a Waffle House, along

The claim was so strange it made people laugh—and then it made officials worry.

Gregg Phillip (also spelled “Phillips” in multiple references) had previously told an interviewer that he found himself “teleporting” into ditches. and even suggested he ended up in a Waffle House. “Teleporting is no fun,” Phillips said in an interview last year. “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.”.

Now, he is out of a job at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Phillips had been a far-right activist installed as a high-ranking FEMA official and was tapped to helm the Office of Response and Recovery in December. His appointment came despite his long history of spreading election conspiracy theories, violent rhetoric and allegations of abuse of office. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, confirmed that Phillips was stepping away from his post for personal reasons. But sources told CNN that his exit was not voluntary.

In that account. DHS leadership became concerned over how the public would perceive Phillips. especially given his wild remarks on right-wing podcasts and his frequent disputes with other top officials. Those disputes. and the visibility of his comments. put the agency’s senior leadership in an uncomfortable position—because the Office of Response and Recovery is supposed to be grounded in crisis execution. not viral spectacle.

FEMA confirmed his departure in a statement. saying Phillips “has played a pivotal role in stabilizing the Office of Response and Recovery and advancing key reforms to strengthen our mission delivery.” The statement added that his leadership was instrumental in guiding FEMA’s response to Typhoon Sinlaku and the 2026 winter storm in the Southeast. ensuring “effective. immediate support to communities in need.”.

With Phillips gone, the acting leadership role is set to change. WaPo reported that David Arnold, a senior official who left FEMA earlier this year, will return to lead the Office of Response and Recovery in an acting capacity.

The sequence of events leaves a stark contrast: DHS says Phillips stepped aside for personal reasons. while other accounts describe an exit pushed by internal worry about public perception and conflict inside leadership ranks. In between sits the odd and attention-grabbing “teleporting” story—now less a curiosity from a podcast circuit and more a symbol of how an unusual political personality can collide with the seriousness of emergency management.

FEMA Gregg Phillips Office of Response and Recovery Department of Homeland Security Typhoon Sinlaku 2026 winter storm emergency management podcast remarks