Trump’s Teleprompter Operator Suspended For Trading on Presidential Speeches on Kalshi

In the world of prediction markets, traders are constantly hunting for an edge. But for one White House staffer, that edge came from sitting directly behind the screen.

On July 16, 2026, the White House confirmed that Gabriel Perez, President Donald Trump’s longtime teleprompter operator, had been placed on unpaid administrative leave. The suspension followed explosive reports that Perez used his direct, non-public access to the president’s prepared drafts to place highly lucrative insider bets on Kalshi regarding the presidential speeches.

According to the investigation, the teleprompter amassed more than $100,000 with insider information.

“Mentions” Markets

The controversy centers around a niche but highly active asset class on Kalshi known as “Mentions” markets. On these boards, contracts are traded on whether a public figure will say specific words such as “tariffs,” “border,” or names of foreign countries during high-profile events. Traders buy Yes or No shares on contracts that are settled once the public figure ends the speed.

Enters Gabriel Perez, the White House’s teleprompter operator.

Because Perez has operated Trump’s teleprompter, since 2016 and was frequently tasked with making final edits to the presidential scripts. He had perfect visibility into Trump’s exact verbiage before the podium mic was turned on.

An intriguing detail emerged from sources close to the investigation: Perez’s trading scheme was not entirely foolproof. Given President Trump’s well-known habit of ad-libbing and straying from prepared remarks, Perez was reportedly forced to panic-sell or quickly abandon his active positions mid-speech whenever the president began speaking off-the-cuff.

The Sting Operation

Despite the lucrative returns, Perez’s plan was short-lived. In March 2026, market makers and automated surveillance systems at Kalshi flagged highly anomalous trading patterns on several niche mention contracts. The accounts in question displayed near-perfect timing, heavily buying obscure words moments before they were read live on air.

Kalshi launched an internal investigation, which included directly interviewing the account holder, and promptly froze the funds locking away more than $90,000 of the illicit profits on the platform before they could be withdrawn.

Over an active three-month trading window, CFTC investigators discovered that Perez systematically placed winning bets on more than a dozen major presidential speeches. His targets reportedly included:

• The State of the Union address in February 2026.
• A primetime address delivered in December 2025.
• A speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2026.
• A Medal of Honor ceremony in March 2026.

The revelation of an insider trading scandal operating directly from the presidential podium drew swift condemnation from the West Wing.

During a press briefing on July 16, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Perez had been stripped of his duties. She stated that President Trump was aware of the situation and viewed the aide’s alleged conduct as “deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace.”

The Future of the Mentions Markets

To mitigate the risk of future security breaches, Kalshi has recently revised its compliance protocols to require high-volume traders to officially disclose their employers. Additionally, the platform’s terms of service strictly forbid any trading based on material, non-public information acquired through professional employment.

Just months prior to the teleprompter’s case, prosecutors filed charges against a military service member accused of using classified planning data to trade on the geopolitical outcome of a raid in Venezuela. Additionally, prominent tech executives have previously altered their live remarks during earnings calls specifically to trigger payouts for online traders.

As federal regulators scrutinize these emerging financial platforms, the Perez case stands as a stark warning: in the age of instant-settlement prediction markets, even the words of a president can be turned into a highly compromised financial commodity.