Trump suspends teleprompter operator for allegedly betting on speeches

A White House teleprompter operator, Gabriel Perez, has been suspended and will be terminated following allegations that he placed bets on the content of President Donald Trump's speeches. The White House confirmed the operator's dismissal, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt calling the situation "deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace."

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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.

According to reports, Perez allegedly profited more than $100,000 by making bets on the prediction market Kalshi. These wagers were reportedly based on specific words or phrases that would appear in Trump's speeches. The teleprompter operator, who has worked for Trump since 2016, is said to have bet on speeches including the State of the Union address and remarks made at the Davos forum.

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That was a decision by the president. So I think that speaks for itself.

Kalshi, the prediction market in question, stated that its surveillance team flagged suspicious trades related to Trump's speeches and promptly referred them to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Robert DeNault, head of enforcement at Kalshi, confirmed they have been assisting regulators and providing collected evidence. The platform also reported that over $90,000 in profits made by Perez had been frozen in his account before he could withdraw them, and he is currently engaged in settlement discussions.

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Our surveillance team promptly flagged and referred these trades to the CFTC after an exchange investigation.

The incident raises concerns about insider trading and the integrity of information within the White House. The report surfaced just hours before Trump was scheduled to deliver an address focused on protecting the integrity of U.S. elections. Leavitt assured reporters that a different teleprompter operator would be present for the speech.

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We have been assisting regulators on this matter and provided evidence we collected, as we do in any referral.