Quick Summary
Trump’s teleprompter operator, Gabriel Perez, has been placed on unpaid administrative leave after federal investigators found he made more than $100,000 betting on Trump’s own speeches using inside knowledge of what the president would say before he said it. Perez placed wagers on more than a dozen of Trump’s speeches through the prediction market Kalshi, including this year’s State of the Union address, over a roughly three-month period. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is now in talks with Perez to settle the allegations.
What Happened
Perez has operated Trump’s teleprompter since his 2016 presidential campaign and, according to CBS News, typically gets the final look at nearly all of the president’s prepared remarks, often incorporating last-minute edits directly from Trump himself. That front-row access to unreleased speech content is exactly what regulators say he used to his advantage on Kalshi’s “Mentions” market, where users can bet on whether specific words, phrases, or topics will be uttered during a public speech.
Kalshi’s own surveillance systems flagged the suspicious trading pattern and referred the case to the CFTC. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed at a briefing that Perez has been placed on unpaid leave at Trump’s direction, describing the situation as deeply unfortunate and, in her words, a disgrace. She added there would still be a teleprompter operator at that evening’s event, just not Perez.
Background
Perez’s bets reportedly covered speeches including this year’s State of the Union address, remarks at the World Economic Forum in January, and comments at a Medal of Honor ceremony in March, according to Engadget. The White House Management Office had already sent staff a memo back in March warning against using nonpublic information to place bets on prediction markets, a warning that, according to sources cited by multiple outlets, came before Perez’s activity was fully uncovered.
This isn’t the first time Perez’s role has drawn scrutiny. ABC News reported he previously came under congressional and federal investigation over edits made to Trump’s remarks connected to the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Why It Matters
The episode lands at the intersection of two fast-growing trends: prediction markets like Kalshi, which have exploded in popularity and now let ordinary users bet on everything from election outcomes to speech content, and long-standing concerns about insider access inside the White House. A staffer with literal advance knowledge of a president’s prepared remarks placing bets on how those remarks will unfold is about as close to guaranteed insider trading as a prediction market can produce, and it raises broader questions about what safeguards, if any, apply to White House staff using these platforms.
It also puts renewed attention on how thinly regulated prediction markets police insider activity in the first place, since it was Kalshi’s own automated surveillance, not a government tip, that first caught the pattern.
Expert & Official Reaction
White House response: Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump believes the situation is deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace, and confirmed Perez is cooperating with the CFTC while on unpaid administrative leave.
Kalshi’s statement: A Kalshi spokesperson said the company’s surveillance team promptly flagged and referred the trades to the CFTC and is cooperating and assisting regulators, according to Mediaite.
Ethics and oversight concerns: Government ethics observers note the case highlights a broader gap in how prediction markets police insider access, since Kalshi’s own automated systems, not a government tip or internal White House review, were what first caught the unusual trading pattern. That distinction matters because it suggests staff-level access to unreleased presidential remarks isn’t currently treated with the same insider-trading safeguards applied to financial markets or corporate earnings calls, even though the informational advantage works the same way in practice.
Renewed scrutiny of Perez’s role: The episode has also revived earlier questions about how much influence Perez has over the president’s final remarks, given his history of taking last-minute edits directly from Trump and his previous entanglement in congressional and federal review of speech edits tied to January 6, 2021.
Statistics & Context
- Amount Perez allegedly won: more than $100,000
- Number of Trump speeches he placed bets on: more than a dozen
- Time period the bets took place over: roughly three months
- Years Perez has worked as Trump’s teleprompter operator: since 2016
- Date of the internal White House memo warning against betting on prediction markets: March 24, 2026
What’s Next
Perez remains on unpaid administrative leave while he works to settle the allegations with the CFTC, reportedly by returning his winnings. It’s not yet clear whether the episode will lead to broader White House policy changes around staff use of prediction markets, or whether other staffers may face similar scrutiny, though Leavitt said she was not aware of any other officials currently under suspicion.
FAQ
Who is Gabriel Perez?
He is a technical assistant to President Trump who has operated his teleprompter since the 2016 campaign, giving him early access to the president’s prepared remarks.
How much money did he make?
More than $100,000, according to federal investigators, by betting on the content of more than a dozen of Trump’s speeches on the prediction market Kalshi.
Is he facing criminal charges?
As of the latest reporting, he is in talks with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to settle the allegations rather than facing announced criminal charges.
What is Kalshi’s “Mentions” market?
A prediction market feature that lets users bet on whether specific words, phrases, or topics will be said during a public speech or event.
What has the White House done about it?
Perez has been placed on unpaid administrative leave at Trump’s direction, and the White House had already issued a March memo warning staff against betting on prediction markets using nonpublic information.
Editorial Note: This article was prepared using publicly available information from international news organizations and official sources available at the time of publication. Facts may be updated as authorities release new information.
Sources:
ABC News:White House teleprompter operator made more than $100K betting on Trump’s speeches: Sources
CBS News:White House teleprompter operator made more than $100,000 on Kalshi bets on Trump speeches