Inside Knowledge Yields Profits: Trump’s Teleprompter Operator Faces Betting Allegations
White House teleprompter operator made more – Gabriel Perez, who has served as one of President Donald Trump’s primary teleprompter operators since 2016, is reportedly engaged in settlement discussions with federal regulators over allegations that he leveraged his privileged position to generate substantial profits through sports betting. According to sources with knowledge of the matter, Perez accumulated more than $100,000 by wagering on the content of over a dozen presidential addresses through the prediction platform Kalshi.
The Investigation Unfolds
Federal investigators from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission identified the suspicious trading patterns after Kalshi’s surveillance systems flagged unusual activity on its “Mentions” market. This particular trading venue allows participants to wager on whether specific words, phrases, or topics will appear during public speeches. Bobby DeNault, who serves as Kalshi’s head of enforcement, confirmed the company’s cooperation with authorities.
Our surveillance team promptly flagged and referred these trades to the CFTC, and we are cooperating and assisting regulators.
The investigation revealed that Perez placed wagers across a three-month window encompassing several high-profile presidential addresses. These included the February State of the Union address, a December primetime speech, a January appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and remarks delivered during a March Medal of Honor ceremony.
White House Response and Administrative Action
Following ABC News’ initial report, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that Perez had been placed on unpaid administrative leave. Leavitt disclosed that she personally consulted with President Trump regarding the situation, and the president characterized the circumstances as a “disgrace” before making the decision to suspend Perez without compensation.
The White House has strict ethics guidelines that we expect all staffers and officials to follow.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle emphasized the administration’s commitment to maintaining proper conduct standards among its personnel. Leavitt also noted that she was not aware of any other White House employees who had engaged in similar betting activities.
Perez’s Unique Position and Previous Scrutiny
As one of Trump’s longest-serving teleprompter operators, Perez occupies a distinctive role within the presidential staff. Sources indicate that among Trump’s closest aides, Perez typically serves as the final reviewer of nearly all the president’s prepared remarks. The operator is frequently observed receiving last-minute editorial changes directly from Trump himself. This is not the first time Perez has attracted attention from investigators. Congressional and federal authorities previously examined the edits Perez made to Trump’s speech preceding the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Betting Patterns and Settlement Prospects
Investigators discovered that Perez demonstrated sophisticated timing in his wagers. In certain instances, the operator would withdraw from specific bets during a speech when Trump deviated from his prepared remarks and skipped over a portion containing a word Perez had previously wagered would be mentioned. Trump has openly acknowledged his tendency to depart from teleprompter notes, stating during a January address to the Detroit Economic Club that he goes off-script approximately 80 percent of the time.
You know, when you go up here, you take a big chance, especially me because I go off teleprompter about 80% of the time.
Perez recently completed an interview with regulators, during which he acknowledged several of the trades in question. The CFTC subsequently notified federal prosecutors in Manhattan, though those prosecutors declined to initiate criminal proceedings. Regulators have expressed openness to reaching an agreement with Perez that would require him to return his accumulated profits and commit to avoiding similar betting activities in the future. A spokesperson for the CFTC declined to provide additional comment on the ongoing matter.
