White House teleprompter operator
Former Trump teleprompter operator ordered to pay $172,539 after Kalshi speech bets (for illustration purpose only) Ron Lach: Pexels

A former White House teleprompter operator has been ordered to pay $172,539 (£127,800) after using advance knowledge of President Donald Trump's speeches to trade on the prediction market Kalshi.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission said Gabriel Perez made $107,539 (£79,700) in profits from mention-market contracts between December 2025 and February 2026. He faces a three-year trading ban after consenting to the order without admitting the findings.

CFTC Settlement Over Insider Mention Market Trades

The regulator found that Perez, while working as a teleprompter operator for the White House, had access to presidential speeches prior to delivery and used that material nonpublic information to trade event contracts.

Those contracts paid out according to whether specific words or phrases appeared in the president's remarks. The CFTC said he 'misappropriated that information—in breach of his duty of trust and confidence', generating the recorded profits.

Under the order dated 28 August he must disgorge the gains and pay a $65,000 (£48,100) civil penalty, a substantial discount granted for exemplary cooperation with investigators.

Kalshi assisted the inquiry after its systems flagged the activity in the spring. Perez traded between December 2025 and February 2026 and the commission noted he generally saw prepared remarks about an hour before they were given.

The order also requires him to cease and desist from further violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and related rules.

How Kalshi Detected the White House Teleprompter Operator Bets

Kalshi's surveillance team noticed unusual buying on mention markets in March and traced the account to a federal employee who operated White House teleprompters.

The company froze the account before most winnings could be withdrawn and referred the case with supporting evidence collected internally.

Perez placed wagers on dozen speeches and events, among them a December primetime speech, the January appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, February's State of the Union and remarks at a Medal of Honour ceremony in March.

He reportedly stepped back from some positions when the president departed from the scripted text. Robert DeNault of Kalshi later welcomed the settlement on social media.

Perez cooperated with investigators and acknowledged certain trades in an interview. The case is one of the earliest involving a White House employee and fast-growing prediction-market contracts.

White House Places Operator on Unpaid Leave

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in mid-July that the president found the reports 'deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace' and personally decided Perez should go on unpaid leave.

Another operator handled the teleprompter for that night's address on election integrity. By late July a White House official confirmed Perez no longer works in the federal government.

Officials have pointed to strict ethical guidelines and an internal memo warning staff not to bet on prediction markets using non-public information. Perez had worked with Trump since the 2016 campaign as a technical adviser and deputy assistant to the president.

Perez must complete payment of the disgorgement and penalty under the timetable set in the CFTC order and remains barred from trading for three years.

The White House has issued no further comment on the settlement itself.

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