Gabriel Perez, the longtime White House teleprompter operator for President Donald Trump, has been placed on unpaid leave following allegations of insider betting [1].
The situation raises significant questions regarding the integrity of government operations and the potential for staff to profit from non-public information using prediction markets.
Perez allegedly used the prediction-market platform Kalshi to place bets on the outcomes and content of President Trump's speeches [1]. This activity has prompted an investigation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission into possible insider-trading violations [1].
Reports on the financial gains from these activities vary. Some sources said Perez earned more than $100,000 [1], while another report cites a figure of $165,105,336 [2]. The discrepancy remains a point of investigation as regulators determine the exact scale of the trades.
The CFTC is examining whether Perez violated insider-trading rules, or conflict-of-interest policies [1]. Because the teleprompter operator has direct access to the text and timing of presidential remarks, the agency is looking for evidence that this access provided an unfair advantage on the Kalshi platform [1].
White House officials placed Perez on unpaid leave on July 16 [3]. The administration has not said when he will return or if permanent disciplinary action will be taken pending the results of the federal probe [3].
Prediction markets like Kalshi allow users to trade on the likelihood of specific events occurring. While these platforms are used for a wide variety of political and economic forecasts, the use of internal government knowledge to influence trades is strictly prohibited under federal law [1].
“Gabriel Perez has been placed on unpaid leave following allegations of insider betting.”
This investigation highlights the growing tension between the rise of legalized prediction markets and the strict ethics rules governing federal employees. If the CFTC finds that a White House staffer used privileged access to a president's speech to secure financial gains, it could lead to stricter regulations on how government personnel interact with financial derivatives and forecasting platforms.
