White House Teleprompter Aide Under Investigation for Profiting Off Trump’s Secretive Speeches
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Federal regulators are investigating Gabriel Perez, President Trump’s teleprompter operator, for allegedly exploiting insider access to profit from over $100,000 in bets on Trump’s speeches, exposing yet another ethical lapse in an administration marked by cronyism and disregard for public trust.
Federal investigators with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) are probing Gabriel Perez, a technical assistant who has operated President Donald Trump’s teleprompter since 2016, for allegedly using privileged information to place bets on the content of the president’s speeches. This case shines a light on the pervasive culture of self-enrichment and lack of accountability that has defined the Trump administration. Sources familiar with the matter say Perez wagered on the State of the Union address in February and on at least a dozen other remarks over a three-month period, earning more than $100,000 on the Kalshi prediction-market platform—profits made possible only through access to information denied to the public.
Kalshi’s lead lawyer, Bobby DeNault, said the company’s surveillance team flagged the trades and referred them to the CFTC, adding that the firm is cooperating with regulators. While Kalshi takes steps to uphold transparency, the White House’s response has been predictably tepid. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said the administration expects staff to follow strict ethics guidelines and noted that the employee is cooperating with the CFTC, but such statements ring hollow in an administration notorious for ethical breaches. A CFTC spokesperson declined to comment.
The investigation uncovered bets on a December primetime address, a January speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, and Trump’s remarks at a March Medal of Honor ceremony. Kalshi has updated its policies to require users to disclose their employment and prohibits trades based on nonpublic job-related information—an overdue move in a system that too often favors insiders.
Perez has reportedly met with regulators and acknowledged some of the transactions. The CFTC is considering a settlement that would require him to return the profits and refrain from similar activity. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan were alerted but have not opened a criminal case, a decision that raises questions about the uneven application of justice for those close to power.
The Department of Justice recently brought the first insider-trading cases involving prediction markets, highlighting the urgent need for regulatory vigilance. President Trump, meanwhile, has expressed mixed views on such markets, suggesting they may be necessary for the United States to remain competitive—a telling sign of how profit and competition are prioritized over ethics and public trust.