Key facts
- White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez is no longer employed by the federal government.
- Perez was placed on unpaid leave after reports he used inside knowledge to bet on President Trump's speeches.
- The bets were reportedly made on the prediction market Kalshi, with Perez winning over $100,000.
- Kalshi flagged the trades to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
- The White House described the reports as "deeply unfortunate and, frankly, a disgrace."
A White House teleprompter operator, Gabriel Perez, is no longer employed by the federal government, according to a White House official. Perez had been placed on unpaid leave earlier this month after news reports indicated he used inside knowledge to win over $100,000 by betting on specific phrases President Donald Trump would use in major speeches, including the State of the Union address. His salary for teleprompter work was $175,000. The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, called the reports of insider trading "deeply unfortunate and, frankly, a disgrace." Robert Denault, Kalshi's lawyer and head of enforcement, stated on X that the platform's surveillance team had flagged and referred these trades to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which oversees such markets. Kalshi recently began requiring users to disclose their place of employment and prohibits betting based on job-related information. Trading volume on Kalshi has soared from $100 million last year to $3 billion today.