President Donald Trump has placed his longtime teleprompter operator, Gabriel Perez, on unpaid administrative leave while federal regulators probe allegations that he made nearly $100,000 betting on the president’s speeches using inside information.
Key Details of the Allegations
Gabriel Perez, a trusted technical assistant who has operated Trump’s teleprompter since 2016, is accused of using his access to the president’s prepared remarks to place bets on Kalshi’s “mention markets.” These markets allow traders to wager on whether the president will say specific words or phrases during speeches.
According to multiple reports citing sources familiar with the matter:
- Perez allegedly profited more than $90,000–$100,000 across bets on over a dozen speeches in roughly three months.
- The trades included high-profile events such as the February State of the Union address, a December primetime address, a January speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, and a March Medal of Honor ceremony.
- Kalshi’s surveillance team flagged unusual betting patterns linked to Perez, froze approximately $90,000 in profits, banned him from the platform, and referred the case to the CFTC.
Perez reportedly has the final review of Trump’s prepared remarks and often handles last-minute edits, giving him unique non-public insight into what the president planned to say.
CFTC Investigation and Cooperation
The CFTC is investigating whether Perez engaged in insider trading on a prediction market. He has sat for an interview with regulators, acknowledged some of the trades, and is currently in settlement talks. Prosecutors in Manhattan were alerted but declined to pursue a criminal case.
More Read
Kalshi has stated it is fully cooperating with regulators and has introduced new security measures, including requirements for users to disclose employment.
White House Response
In a statement shared via X, an official close to the matter said:
“I spoke with him about it. He believes it’s deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace. And the individual that was cited in that report is complying with the CFTC, but has been put on [unpaid] administrative leave.
So there will be a teleprompter operator tonight, of course, but it will not be the one unfortunately in that story.”
The White House has emphasized strict ethics guidelines. A March internal memo had already warned staff against using non-public government information for bets on platforms like Kalshi or Polymarket.
More Read
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle noted that the staffer is “fully cooperating with the CFTC.”
Broader Context
This marks what sources describe as the first known instance of federal investigators probing suspected insider trading on a prediction market from inside the White House. Prediction markets have grown rapidly, and regulators have expressed concerns about the misuse of non-public information.
Kalshi has a clear policy against trading on information obtained through employment that carries a legal duty of confidentiality.
The story continues to develop as the CFTC investigation proceeds and settlement discussions continue. Perez remains under scrutiny but has not been criminally charged.
Stay tuned for updates on this breaking political and regulatory story.
