Teleprompter Operator Rakes in Over $100K Betting on Trump’s Speeches

The teleprompter operator for President Donald Trump has been placed on unpaid administrative leave after allegedly pocketing over $100,000 from betting on the content of the president's speeches.

Gabriel “Gabe” Perez, who served as a technical assistant to the president, is negotiating with federal regulators regarding claims that he exploited his insider knowledge to place bets on Kalshi, a betting platform.

Kalshi flagged suspicious activity to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which oversees futures and betting markets, concerning its “Mentions” market where users wager on specific words or phrases used during speeches.

Perez operated the teleprompter during significant events, including the State of the Union, and placed bets on over a dozen speeches within a three-month period.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Perez is on unpaid leave and is cooperating with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Leavitt stated that the president views the situation as “deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace.”

For an upcoming speech on election integrity, Trump will have a different teleprompter operator due to this incident.

Among the speeches Perez allegedly bet on were Trump’s December primetime address, a January speech at the World Economic Forum, and remarks made during a Medal of Honor ceremony in March.

In some cases, Perez reportedly withdrew his bets mid-speech when Trump skipped certain sections.

Sources indicated that Perez has already spoken with regulators and admitted to some of his trades. Regulators are open to settling with him, which would involve returning his profits and prohibiting similar future trades.

Perez joined Trump’s team as a teleprompter operator in 2016 during the president's first campaign. The Trump campaign found him through a Google search for “teleprompters,” as recounted in the book “Let Trump Be Trump” by former campaign managers Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie.

Lewandowski and Bossie noted that Perez made the teleprompter user-friendly for Trump and became adept at its setup and breakdown.

Perez continued with the Trump team throughout the president's first term and returned for the second term, earning an annual salary of $175,000 as reported in the White House’s 2025 annual report to Congress.

Prediction markets have surged in popularity, allowing bets on various topics, but lawmakers express concern over potential insider trading due to insufficient regulations surrounding these contracts.

Recently, members of the House advanced legislation to prohibit lawmakers and their families from placing bets related to elections and government matters.

The Senate has already enacted a rule banning lawmakers and their staff from engaging in prediction market bets.

This year, the White House issued a memo cautioning staff against using insider knowledge about policies, particularly regarding Iran, for betting purposes.

Notably, popular prediction market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket are blocked from access on White House WiFi, although it remains unclear if staff can access these sites through other means.

When questioned about staff access to these platforms, Leavitt stated she was unsure but would investigate further.