Allegations of Teleprompter Operator Betting on Presidential Speeches

The White House has announced that President Donald Trump’s teleprompter operator is on unpaid leave amid accusations of betting on speech content through the prediction market Kalshi. Reports indicate the operator leveraged inside knowledge for financial gain.

According to Kalshi’s Chief Compliance Officer, the company alerted federal regulators regarding possible bets placed on the President’s public speeches. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt labeled the situation as “regrettable” and “embarrassing.” She affirmed the administration’s stringent ethical guidelines and noted the operator’s leave status.

Significant Earnings from Inside Information

ABC News disclosed that Gabriel Perez, in his role since 2016, apparently used insider information to earn over $100,000 by betting on major speech content, including this year’s State of the Union address. Robert Denault, Kalshi’s legal counsel, announced on X that Kalshi’s surveillance team identified, investigated, and reported these activities to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which oversees regulations in these areas. Denault’s statement did not mention Perez.

ABC’s report, relying on anonymous sources familiar with the case, detailed dubious actions in Kalshi’s “Mentions” market, where users wager on specific phrases used in speeches. Recently, Kalshi implemented a policy requiring users to disclose their employment and prohibits trading based on information gained through their occupations.

Financial Gains Amidst Regulation Concerns

Instances of administration members, including Trump, profiting from their positions have been reported. Trump’s latest financial disclosures show over $1.2 billion in cryptocurrency earnings by 2025 amidst investor losses in markets he aimed to shield from regulation. Trump reportedly garnered more than $500 million from his company, World Liberty Financial, by selling new cryptocurrency products, such as “governance tokens,” according to mandatory annual reports to the Office of Government Ethics. The report also mentioned CIC Digital LLC, a cryptocurrency venture exceeding $600 million from novelty “meme” coins featuring Trump’s likeness. Both tokens and coins have decreased in value post-sale.

Additionally, Trump’s wealth has grown substantially due to merchandise contracts and political events at his properties. His advisors defend his business dealings as compliant with applicable presidential conflict-of-interest laws. Earlier this year, Leavitt dismissed claims of Trump profiting from his presidency as “absurd.”