WATCH: Trump believes his Kalshi-betting teleprompter operator is a 'disgrace,' Leavitt says

President Donald Trump views the reports of a White House teleprompter operator betting on the content of his speeches as a "disgrace," according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. The employee in question, Gabriel Perez, allegedly won over $100,000 on an online prediction market called Kalshi by betting on more than a dozen of Trump's speeches.

Leavitt confirmed that Trump made the decision to place the employee on unpaid administrative leave. She added that the individual is cooperating with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's investigation into the matter. The press secretary emphasized that Trump believes the situation is "deeply unfortunate."

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Trump "believes it's deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace."

According to Leavitt, no other staffers are under investigation, and the White House counsel's office had no prior knowledge of these alleged bets. She stressed that strict ethical guidelines are in place at the White House, explicitly prohibiting such actions. The individual, she stated, violated these established protocols and is now facing the consequences.

The incident involves allegations that Perez bet on the outcomes of speeches, including the State of the Union address and a Medal of Honor ceremony. The report highlights a broader context of prediction markets and their intersection with political events, noting that Kalshi has also faced scrutiny regarding congressional candidates betting on elections.

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There are very strict ethical guidelines here at the White House that explicitly state not to do this, and the White House counsel's office makes that clear to all of us who sign up to work in government on behalf of the president, so I think there has been a plan in place. This individual unfortunately violated the plan and therefore he's paying the consequences for it.