Ex-White House teleprompter operator ordered to pay $172,000 for Trump speech bets

A former White House teleprompter operator is facing a hefty fine of over $172,000 (£127,000) for using confidential information to gamble on Donald Trump's speeches. Gabriel Perez allegedly made trades regarding what the U.S. president would say during addresses between December 2025 and February 2026 on Kalshi, a prediction markets platform.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) imposed a civil penalty of $65,000 on Perez, who must surrender profits of $107,539.02. The White House has not yet commented on the matter. Perez was placed on unpaid leave in July and informed he would not return to his position. The CFTC stated Perez had "misappropriated" his insider knowledge to place bets, breaching his duty of trust.

His penalty was reduced due to his co-operation with the investigation. Perez has been banned from trading for three years. Kalshi's legal team praised the decision, emphasizing that such rule violations will face consequences. The company had previously detected unusual betting on "mention markets" in March, identifying Perez as a federal employee in White House teleprompter operations and reporting the activity to regulators.