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Teleprompter Operator Won Over $100,000 Betting on Trump’s Speeches

The White House’s connections to prediction markets will be under even more scrutiny after President Trump’s teleprompter operator used inside information to win over $100,000. Gabriel Perez, who has worked as Trump’s teleprompter operator since 2016, allegedly used insider information to bet on Trump’s speeches on Kalshi.

What Did Trump’s Teleprompter Operator Do?

Gabriel Perez, Trump’s teleprompter operator since 2016, is accused of using his knowledge of the president’s speeches to trade on the prediction market Kalshi. President Trump and his teleprompter have an at-times strained relationship, but that did not stop his teleprompter operator from cashing in on his insider knowledge.

Perez did not trade small amounts, either. According to reports, Perez made tens of thousands of dollars trading on Trump’s speech, with some estimates putting his gains at over $100,000.

Kalshi flagged suspicious trading activity on Perez’s account and reported him to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Perez was placed on unpaid leave and is already in talks to settle with CFTC investigators.

Which Speeches Did Perez Bet On?

Perez worked as Trump’s teleprompter operator for a decade, and it is unclear how many dozens of speeches he may have traded on. However, some of the speeches Perez is accused of trading on include:

• Trump’s 2026 State of the Union
• A primetime address in December
• Trump’s January speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland
• A Medal of Honor ceremony in March 2026

As the teleprompter operator, Perez was often the last person to see the final version of Trump’s prepared remarks, even making last-minute edits at the direction of the president.

Perez is not the first trader to take advantage of inside information from the Trump White House. Traders with military intelligence allegedly made over $500 million trading on Iran strikes in February.

Despite his inside knowledge of Trump’s speeches, Perez’s trades were not guaranteed to win. Trump’s tendency to deviate from the teleprompter makes any wager on his speech risky.

Perez’s account had a history of backing out of markets he had previously traded. These situations appear to align with times when Trump veered away from prepared remarks on the teleprompter. As the operator with knowledge of the speech, Perez would have known if Trump’s improvisations had tanked his trades, allowing him to back out of them before the speech was over.

How Kalshi Stopped Perez’s Illegal Trading

Perez’s use of insider knowledge violated Kalshi’s terms and conditions. When the company noticed the suspicious trading activity on Perez’s account, it alerted the CFTC.

Kalshi has made efforts to crack down on insider trading in 2026. Perez’s case is just the latest example of why the prediction market needs a robust surveillance team to prevent insider trading.