$100,000 Bet on Trump's Speeches? White House Teleprompter Operator Faces Investigation

A White House teleprompter operator is under investigation for allegedly using inside information to place bets on Donald Trump’s speeches, with Kalshi freezing over $90,000 in suspected profits.

A White House teleprompter operator is under investigation for allegedly using inside information to place bets on US President Donald Trump’s speeches and making nearly $100,000 in profits.

According to reports, Gabriel Perez, who has worked at the White House since 2016, allegedly placed bets on the words Trump would use during major public addresses, including the State of the Union speech.

The bets were placed on Kalshi, a prediction markets platform where users can wager on real-world events. The company confirmed that it reported the suspicious activity to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which regulates the platform.

According to reports, Kalshi froze Perez’s account before any of the alleged profits could be withdrawn.

The platform told the BBC that its analysts noticed unusual betting activity in March involving “mention markets”—contracts in which users predict whether a speaker will use certain words or phrases, such as the names of countries, economic terms or campaign slogans.

“The words of political leaders like Presidents and Fed chairs cause billions of dollars of movement in FX markets, oil futures, [and] the stock market,” Kalshi said.

Using account information, the company identified the user as a federal employee who operated teleprompters at the White House.

According to Kalshi, it froze more than $90,000 before the money could be withdrawn.

According to Robert DeNault, Kalshi’s head of enforcement, the company identified the suspicious trades and shared the evidence with regulators.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump had been informed about the matter. She added that the teleprompter operator had been placed on unpaid leave and would no longer work at the White House.

The story was first reported by ABC News and later confirmed by the BBC’s US partner, CBS News.

According to reports, sources said Gabriel Perez has been “fully cooperative” with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) during the inquiry.

ABC News also reported that federal prosecutors in Manhattan declined to open a criminal case.

When contacted by the BBC, the CFTC said it could not “confirm or deny” whether it was conducting an investigation.

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