Trump teleprompter operator probed for Kalshi bets

Gabriel Perez is under CFTC investigation for allegedly using insider access as Trump’s teleprompter operator to profit over $90,000 on Kalshi bets. He may have to return profits and face a trading ban.

Gabriel Perez, a longtime teleprompter operator for Donald Trump, is under investigation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) for allegedly using advance access to Trump’s speech content to place profitable bets on the prediction market platform Kalshi. Over a three-month period, Perez reportedly wagered on more than a dozen speeches—including the State of the Union, a World Economic Forum address, and a Medal of Honor ceremony—earning profits exceeding $90,000, with some reports suggesting the total surpassed $100,000. Kalshi’s surveillance team flagged the activity, noting that Perez sometimes withdrew bets mid-speech when Trump deviated from the script. The CFTC is examining whether Perez used non-public information and violated prediction market rules. He has been placed on unpaid leave, and a possible settlement may require him to return the profits and accept a ban on similar trades. The case has intensified regulatory scrutiny of prediction markets as their popularity and trading volumes increase.