WASHINGTON, D.C. — Gabriel Perez is on unpaid leave from his position as President Donald Trump’s teleprompter operator. Reports allege that Perez used inside knowledge to place bets on the online prediction market Kalshi regarding the content of President Trump’s speeches.

Reports state that Perez allegedly won more than $100,000 from these bets. The alleged bets included wagers on the content of the State of the Union address earlier in 2026. Perez has operated Trump’s teleprompter since 2016.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Trump is aware of the situation. Leavitt described the situation as "unfortunate" and "a disgrace." "The White House has extremely strict ethical guidelines with respect to issues like this," Leavitt said.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has regulatory authority over matters involving the Kalshi trades. Kalshi’s enforcement chief stated that the company contacted federal regulators regarding the alleged bets. Robert Denault, Kalshi’s lawyer and head of enforcement, stated on X that the Kalshi surveillance team flagged, investigated, and referred the trades to the U.S. Futures Commission.

"We have been assisting regulators on this matter and provided all evidence that we collected, as we do with any referral," Denault said. Kalshi’s policy prohibits betting based on information that users gain because of their job. Kalshi recently began requiring users to disclose their place of employment. Kalshi’s "Mentions" market allows users to place bets on what phrases and specific words might be used in public speeches.

The case involves a White House staff member with long-standing access to presidential communications placing wagers on the specific content of those speeches. Perez served as the teleprompter operator for Trump starting in 2016, a role that placed him in proximity to the preparation and delivery of major addresses.

The U.S. Futures Commission holds regulatory jurisdiction over the trading platform where the alleged activity occurred. Kalshi’s internal policies explicitly ban trading based on non-public information obtained through employment, and the company recently implemented new rules requiring users to disclose their employers. The referral of the case to federal regulators shows the intersection of government service ethics and oversight of emerging prediction markets.