US President Donald Trump has suspended a White House teleprompter operator accused of using advance knowledge of his speeches to place lucrative prediction-market bets, officials said.
Gabriel Perez allegedly earned more than $100,000 (€87,400) by wagering on Kalshi that particular words or phrases would feature in the president’s remarks, according to ABC News.
“I’m aware of the report, the president is too, I spoke with him about it. He believes it’s deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
Ms Leavitt said the operator had been placed on unpaid administrative leave and “will no longer be working at the White House.”
Kalshi said its analysts identified suspicious trading linked to Trump speeches and alerted the platform’s US regulator, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
“Our surveillance team promptly flagged and referred these trades to the CFTC after an exchange investigation,” Kalshi Head of Enforcement Robert DeNault said.
The teleprompter operator withdrew from bets when Donald Trump departed from his prepared remarks (file image)
“We have been assisting regulators on this matter and provided evidence we collected, as we do in any referral.”
Kalshi said it froze more than $90,000 (€78,660) in profits in the operator’s account before the money could be withdrawn. Mr Perez is now discussing a possible settlement with the platform.
Strict ethical guidelines
Mr Perez, who has handled Mr Trump’s teleprompter since 2016, wagered on several high-profile appearances, ABC reported. They included the State of the Union address in February, comments delivered to the Davos forum in Switzerland and a primetime address in December.
According to the broadcaster, he even exited some wagers while speeches were under way when Mr Trump strayed from the script and passed over sections containing words on which Mr Perez had bet.
The allegations emerged only hours before Mr Trump was scheduled to address the nation again today, with the White House saying his speech would centre on safeguarding the integrity of US elections.
“So there will be a teleprompter operator tonight, of course – but it will not be the one, unfortunately, in that story,” Ms Leavitt said.
Prediction markets are facing mounting scrutiny in the United States amid allegations of insider trading, while some other countries prohibit the platforms entirely.
In another case, a US soldier faces federal charges over allegations that he used classified information to wager on online prediction markets tied to the January operation to capture former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.
Authorities allege he made more than $400,000 (€349,600).
The White House maintained that safeguards designed to prevent such conduct were already in force.
“There are very strict ethical guidelines here at the White House that explicitly state not to do this,” Ms Leavitt said.
Mr Trump’s son, Don Jr, has nevertheless served as an advisor to Kalshi since January 2025. He praised the prediction market after it accurately forecast his father’s victory in the 2024 election.
