Inside the White House: Trump's Teleprompter Operator Bet $100K on What the President Would Say

The story of a White House insider turning privileged access into personal profit has rocked official Washington, raising fresh doubts about whether ethical walls truly hold in the current administration.

Inside the White House: Trump's Teleprompter Operator Bet $100K on What the President Would Say

Washington D.C. – July 16, 2026 — Gabriel Perez, the teleprompter operator who has worked for President Trump since 2016, now sits on unpaid leave after federal authorities examined whether he used advance knowledge of prepared remarks to win more than $100,000 on a prediction market.

The allegations, first reported by ABC News and confirmed by multiple outlets including the Associated Press and BBC, center on bets placed through Kalshi's "Mentions" market — a relatively obscure corner of the prediction platform where users wager on whether specific phrases or words will appear in the president's public addresses. Perez's position gave him exclusive access to the finalized speech text, a privilege that allowed him to trade with near-certain knowledge of the outcome while failing to disclose his White House employment as platform rules required. The case has reopened debates about the scope of government ethics enforcement in an era where prediction markets make it possible to monetize even routine access to official information.

The Allegations Against Gabriel Perez

Gabriel Perez stands accused of leveraging his front-row seat to Trump's prepared speeches. Sources confirm he placed repeated bets on Kalshi's "Mentions" market, which pays out when specific words or phrases appear in the president's remarks. The activity allegedly began after Kalshi introduced a policy requiring users to disclose any White House employment. Perez reportedly failed to do so while continuing to wager on upcoming addresses, including the State of the Union in 2026.

Gabriel Perez has operated the teleprompter since 2016, giving him sustained proximity to speech preparation that few others share. The Kalshi policy change mandating employment disclosure occurred recently, yet Perez continued trading without revealing his role, focusing bets on events such as the 2026 State of the Union. This combination of long tenure and nondisclosure forms the core of the allegations now under review.

How the Scheme Worked: Inside Kalshi's "Mentions" Market

The Kalshi "Mentions" market allows traders to bet on exact phrasing the president will use. Because Perez controlled the teleprompter, he possessed real-time knowledge of the approved text before delivery. Records show he won more than $100,000 across multiple contracts. Kalshi later froze more than $90,000 in his account before any withdrawal could be completed, halting the payout pending review.

Contract mechanics on the Kalshi "Mentions" market hinge on whether designated phrases or words appear verbatim in delivered remarks, creating binary outcomes tied directly to speech content. Perez's position afforded advance visibility into the finalized text, enabling repeated wagers that reportedly yielded over $100,000 before Kalshi froze more than $90,000 pending review.

Kalshi's Investigation and Federal Referral

Kalshi's surveillance team first flagged unusual trading patterns in March 2026. Enforcement chief Robert Denault stated the platform conducted an internal investigation, confirmed the suspicious activity, and referred the matter to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Perez has been described as fully cooperative with the inquiry, though the CFTC has neither confirmed nor denied opening a formal case.

ABC News first reported the matter, with confirmation from AP, BBC, and CBS. Robert Denault, Kalshi enforcement chief, oversaw the referral after the surveillance team identified activity in March 2026. Perez has remained fully cooperative throughout, while the CFTC has declined to confirm or deny any investigation.

White House Response: "A Disgrace"

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Perez has been placed on unpaid leave and will no longer work at the White House. She emphasized that the administration maintains extremely strict ethical guidelines and called the episode both "unfortunate" and "a disgrace." Leavitt added that no other employees have been implicated in similar conduct.

During the press briefing, Karoline Leavitt stated that Perez is on unpaid leave and will no longer work at the White House, describing the situation as both unfortunate and a disgrace under extremely strict ethical guidelines. She further confirmed that no other employees have been implicated in comparable activity.

Legal Implications and the CFTC Probe

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan reviewed the evidence but declined to open a criminal case. The matter now rests with the CFTC, which oversees prediction markets. Kalshi's referral centers on whether Perez violated platform rules by withholding his employment status while using non-public information. No charges have been filed as of July 16, 2026.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan declined to pursue a criminal case after reviewing the evidence. The CFTC retains authority over prediction markets and has neither confirmed nor denied an investigation, leaving the platform's referral focused on nondisclosure of employment and use of non-public information as of July 16, 2026.

Kalshi's surveillance team promptly flagged, investigated and referred these trades to the CFTC under its obligations as a regulated platform. Prediction market oversight falls under the Commodity Exchange Act, which bars trading on material non-public information obtained through employment, a prohibition Kalshi enforces by requiring disclosure of government roles. Robert Denault, Kalshi enforcement chief, stated "We have been assisting regulators on this matter and provided all evidence that we collected, as we do with any referral," confirming the platform's cooperation after ABC News reporting based on anonymous sources.

What This Means for White House Ethics

The incident tests the administration's claim of rigorous ethical standards. Leavitt's public statement underscores an internal expectation that staff must avoid even the appearance of profiting from official duties. The fact that Perez operated the teleprompter since 2016 without prior incident makes the sudden violation stand out under current scrutiny.

Perez's uninterrupted service since 2016 highlights how the recent Kalshi disclosure requirement altered the compliance landscape for long-serving staff. The episode illustrates enforcement of ethical guidelines even when prior conduct raised no flags, reinforcing expectations that official roles must not intersect with personal financial activity on prediction platforms.

The White House applies the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch, which explicitly prohibit using non-public information for private gain. This episode differs from prior controversies such as scrutiny over Trump's financial disclosures and the $1.2 billion he reported from crypto businesses, as it involves a lower-level staffer exploiting operational access rather than broad business holdings, yet it still tests consistency in applying those conduct standards across the administration.

Broader Questions About Trump Administration Profits

This case arrives amid ongoing examination of how Trump administration associates have monetized proximity to power. Reports have highlighted Truth Social's high-speed access arrangements and the president's reported $1.2 billion gain from cryptocurrency ventures in 2025. Perez's suspension adds another data point to questions about whether insider advantages are being policed consistently across the executive branch.

Historical parallels to government insider trading cases underscore recurring challenges in separating official duties from personal gain, particularly when prediction markets offer direct monetization of non-public information. The CFTC's regulatory authority over such platforms places this matter within established oversight frameworks, even as the Trump administration's broader ethics record faces renewed attention from the current allegations.

On July 16, Trump Media & Technology Group announced it would charge for special high-speed access to Truth Social posts, including possibly Trump's own posts that could move national security and financial markets. This move extends the pattern of monetizing proximity to administration information, raising parallel concerns about whether regulatory scrutiny applied to individual staff trading will extend evenly to corporate strategies that commercialize similar access advantages.

By Jessica Ali, Staff Writer