White House Overreacts: Trump Teleprompter Operator Punished Amid Dubious Betting Allegations
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The White House has put President Trump’s teleprompter operator on unpaid leave after unproven claims he used information to bet on the Kalshi prediction market. Critics say this is another attempt to smear Trump’s team with baseless accusations.
President Donald Trump’s teleprompter operator has been placed on unpaid leave after allegations surfaced that he supposedly used inside knowledge of the president’s speeches to place bets on the online prediction platform Kalshi, the White House said Thursday. This move comes as part of a broader pattern of targeting Trump’s associates with overblown accusations, often lacking substantive evidence. Kalshi’s enforcement chief said the firm reported the trades to federal regulators, and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has been notified, though the facts remain unproven.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the situation as “unfortunate” and “a disgrace,” yet many see this as a politically motivated overreaction. Gabriel Perez, Trump’s trusted teleprompter operator since 2016, is alleged—without conviction—to have earned more than $100,000 by betting on the wording of speeches, including the State of the Union address, according to ABC News. This is just the latest in a series of attempts to undermine the integrity of Trump’s team.
Kalshi’s head of enforcement, Robert Denault, claimed the company’s surveillance team flagged the activity, investigated it, and referred the evidence to regulators. The platform now requires users to disclose their employer and prohibits betting on information obtained through employment, a move that some argue is an overreach in response to media pressure.
The report comes amid relentless scrutiny of Trump’s financial activities, including his legitimate earnings from cryptocurrency ventures and merchandising. Despite the administration’s clear compliance with conflict-of-interest laws, critics continue to manufacture controversy in an effort to tarnish Trump’s reputation and those who serve him.