Gregg Phillips was still being paid through the Trump administration’s payroll when the Wired article was published.

WIRED’s article directly supports the timing and substance of the claim. Published around August 27, 2026, it reported that the White House said Phillips was on administrative leave, which indicates that he remained employed and paid through the administration at the time of publication.wired.comwired.comWaffle House Teleporter Gregg Phillips Is Still on the Trump Administration’s... Political Wire published a matching account on August 26, 2026, reporting that Phillips remained on the Trump payroll after being removed from his influential disaster-response role.

This provides independent corroboration for the narrower employment-status claim, while also clarifying that being on the payroll did not necessarily mean Phillips was actively working in his previous position.politicalwire.compoliticalwire.comWaffle House Teleporter Still On the Trump Payroll Earlier reporting establishes that President Donald Trump’s administration brought Phillips into FEMA in December 2025, but it does not by itself determine his status in August 2026. The later WIRED and Political Wire reports are therefore the relevant evidence for the claim’s publication-time frame.nytimes.comnytimes.comGregg Phillips, a Proponent of Election Conspiracy Theories, to Join FEMA+1 more