Regulators Investigate White House Teleprompter Operator Over Prediction-Market Bets on Trump Speeches

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is in settlement talks with Gabriel Perez, President Trump's teleprompter operator since 2016, over allegations he made close to $100,000 on the prediction market Kalshi by betting on which words and phrases the president would use in public remarks, according to two people with knowledge of the probe cited by NPR. Kalshi's surveillance systems flagged unusual trading in its mention markets and referred the matter to the CFTC; the exchange says it froze roughly $90,000 of the profits and banned the account. Perez, a deputy assistant to the president paid $175,000 a year, is on unpaid administrative leave, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, calling the conduct a disgrace. Perez did not respond to a request for comment.

If substantiated, the case would be the first known instance of a person inside the White House being investigated for trading a prediction market on nonpublic information about the president's own activity. White House staff received a memo in March warning that misusing government information on Kalshi and Polymarket is a criminal offense.

The matter is at the settlement-negotiation stage with a civil regulator; NPR reported it is not clear whether the Justice Department is examining the case, and no charges have been filed. Reported profit figures vary between outlets from roughly $100,000 to more than $100,000.