A far-right conspiracy theorist turned high-ranking official at the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) claims to have once teleported to a Waffle House.

Gregg Phillips, who in December was appointed to lead Fema’s office of response and recovery, has spoken on “multiple podcasts” about being teleported against his will, CNN reported on Friday.

On a January 2025 podcast appearance, Phillips claimed that his car was “lifted up” while he was driving and transported 40 miles away into a ditch near a church. And in another instance on the same episode, Phillips said he was teleported 50 miles away to a Waffle House in Rome, Georgia, CNN detailed in a deep dive into Phillips’ past public statements.

“I was with my boys one time, and I was telling them I was gonna go to Waffle House and get Waffle House. 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,” Phillips said on the podcast Onward, co-hosted by rightwing activist Catherine Engelbrecht.

Phillips added: “And they said, ‘where are you?’ and I said, ‘A Waffle House.’ And: ‘a Waffle House where?’ And I said: ‘Waffle House in Rome, Georgia.’ And they said: “‘That’s not possible, you just left here a moment ago.’ But it was possible. It was real.”

But Phillips did warn about the dangers of teleportation.

“Teleporting is no fun,” he said “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.”

Waffle House is an iconic US diner chain known for being open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Craig Fugate, who led Fema under Barack Obama, once said that Waffle House can provide insight into the level of seriousness of disasters.

“If you get there and the Waffle House is closed,” Fugate said “That’s really bad. That’s where you go to work.”

Fema, which is overseen by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is the top US disaster response and preparedness agency. As the director of Fema’s office of response and recovery – the largest of the agency’s divisions – Phillips is tasked with making recommendations on whether federal disaster declarations and aid are needed.

On other podcast appearances, Phillips suggested that both Covid-19 and the vaccine for it were designed to kill people, and also claimed that Department of Homeland Security officials were “planning the next assassination attempt” of Donald Trump after a failed attempt on the US president’s life in 2024.

Fema told CNN that inquiries about Phillips’ statements were “so silly it’s barely worth acknowledging”.

“DHS, FEMA, and Mr. Phillips are focused on the critical mission of emergency management and ensuring the safety of the American people,” the agency told CNN. “Many of the comments cited are 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.”