Ex-White House staffer fined $173K for Trump speech bets on Kalshi

A former White House teleprompter operator, Gabriel Perez, has been ordered to pay over $172,000 for using confidential information to bet on President Donald Trump's speeches, according to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Perez allegedly made trades on Kalshi, a prediction markets platform, during Trump's addresses between December 2025 and February 2026.

The CFTC stated that Perez would forfeit profits of $107,539.02 and pay a civil penalty of $65,000. Perez had been on unpaid leave and would no longer return to his position, as announced by then press secretary Karoline Leavitt in July. The CFTC noted that Perez had "misappropriated" his insider knowledge to place bets "in breach of his duty of trust and confidence."

His civil penalty was reduced due to his cooperation with the investigation. Perez has also been barred from trading for three years. Kalshi's lead lawyer, Bobby DeNault, praised the decision, asserting that anyone violating rules or federal law will face consequences.