The White House confirmed on Thursday that President Donald Trump has suspended a long-serving teleprompter operator over highly unusual financial allegations. Gabriel Perez, who has operated the president's teleprompter since 2016, allegedly made more than $100,000 by placing bets on prediction markets regarding the specific content of Trump's speeches.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the situation with reporters, noting that the president was aware of the report and found the behavior deeply unfortunate. Perez was placed on unpaid administrative leave and will no longer be working at the White House.

Profiting from Scripted Words

The controversy centers around Kalshi, a popular online prediction market. Analysts at Kalshi flagged suspicious trading activity related to the precise words and phrases that appeared in the president's public addresses. The platform promptly referred the trades to its US regulator, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), for further investigation.

According to reports, Perez placed bets on major addresses, including the State of the Union and remarks at the Davos forum. In some instances, the operator allegedly backed out of certain bets mid-speech if the president veered off script and skipped over the specific words in question.

Strict Ethical Guidelines

Kalshi confirmed that more than $90,000 in profits made by the operator had been successfully frozen before it could be withdrawn, and settlement discussions are currently underway. The White House emphasized that very strict ethical guidelines explicitly prohibit this type of behavior among administration staff.

Prediction markets have faced increasing scrutiny in the United States over potential insider trading issues, making this high-profile case a significant point of interest for financial regulators.

Stay updated on the latest developments in national politics and government ethics at The WAU.

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