Teleprompter operator probed over $100k Trump speech bets
A White House teleprompter operator stands accused of using inside information to profit from prediction markets on presidential speeches, an episode that highlights the direct link between political rhetoric and billions of dollars in global market movements.
Gabriel Perez, a White House teleprompter operator since 2016, has been placed on unpaid leave after allegedly using his advance knowledge of presidential addresses to make nearly $100,000 on a prediction market platform. President Donald Trump is aware of the situation, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Perez will no longer work at the executive mansion.
The trades took place on Kalshi, a platform regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) that allows users to bet on real-world events. In March, Kalshi analysts spotted unusual activity in "mention markets"—contracts where users wager on whether a speaker will use specific economic terms, countries, or campaign slogans.
Using account data, Kalshi's head of enforcement, Robert DeNault, said the firm traced the suspicious bets to a federal employee operating White House teleprompters. The exchange froze the account before Perez could withdraw more than $90,000 in profits and handed the evidence over to regulators.
This breach of protocol carries outsized weight for international investors. "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 noted. For European traders, who routinely react to US presidential addresses that dictate the direction of global asset prices, the integrity of these announcements is paramount.
The fundamental premise of transatlantic markets is that all participants receive information simultaneously. A government employee exploiting a brief informational advantage to trade on a regulated platform exposes the fragility of that level playing field ahead of major economic events. It demonstrates how even peripheral access to unreleased political text can be monetized before global markets can react.
The legal fallout remains limited so far. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have declined to open a criminal case, according to ABC News. However, sources indicate Perez has been "fully cooperative" with the CFTC. The regulatory agency, which oversees the platform, said it could not "confirm or deny" whether an investigation is ongoing.
