Ex-White House Teleprompter Operator Fined $172,000 for Trump Speech Bets

Gabriel Perez worked as a teleprompter operator at the White House during Donald Trump's presidency. His job gave him early access to the text of speeches and any last-minute changes.

According to Bloomberg and the BBC, Perez used this confidential information to place bets on political prediction markets. These platforms allowed users to wager on what Trump would say during his public addresses. The bets covered specific phrases or topics that might be mentioned in the speeches.

The unusual profits Perez made from these bets eventually caught the attention of regulators, prompting an investigation.

In July 2026, Perez was placed on leave from his White House position after suspicions emerged about his trading activities, NBC News reported. Regulators began examining bets placed on platforms like Kalshi, where Perez had made significant gains by predicting Trump's speech content.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) led the probe, which quickly found that Perez had violated rules by using non-public information to make trades. Outlets including ABC News and South China Morning Post noted that Perez made over $100,000 in profits by betting on so-called 'mention markets', wagers on whether certain words or topics would appear in Trump's speeches.

Federal officials concluded their investigation in late August 2026. On August 29, multiple outlets reported that Perez had reached a settlement with the CFTC. The agreement required him to return more than $100,000 in profits and pay a fine of $65,000, bringing the total financial penalty to over $172,000.

The BBC and The Guardian both highlighted how the case raised questions about the integrity of both prediction markets and access to sensitive government information.

Perez is no longer employed at the White House. He has agreed to pay the settlement as ordered by the CFTC. The government described his actions as a breach of trust, and the White House press secretary called the episode regrettable, according to NDTV News and other outlets.

The case has sparked debate about the risks of insider trading not just in finance, but also in political prediction markets, and whether current safeguards are adequate.

The settlement resolves the case against Perez, but federal regulators may revisit rules around access to political speech content and how prediction markets operate. Observers will be watching whether further restrictions or oversight are introduced for White House staff and similar platforms.