White House Teleprompter Bet On What President Would Say In Speeches. Now He Faces The Consequences.

White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez made $100,000 using his knowledge of President Trump's speeches to make bets on prediction markets. Now he's been ordered to pay it back.

Concretely, Perez will have to pay back the $107,539 he made on the prediction market Kalshi. He was also issued a civil penalty of $65,000 by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Perez will not face any criminal charges.

According to the commission, Perez would use his knowledge of presidential speeches to make predictions regarding what Donald Trump would say. The activity occurred between December 2025 and February 2026.

"Perez traded presidential mention market contracts, which are event contracts reflecting words or phrases the President may use during his speeches," the CFTC stated. "In his position, Perez had access to presidential speeches prior to those speeches being delivered and Perez misappropriated that information—in breach of his duty of trust and confidence."

ABC News reported last month that Perez, who has worked operating President Trump's teleprompter since 2016, was accused of making bets and winning thousands of dollars. Following that report, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that Perez had been put on unpaid administrative leave.

ABC News reported that CFTC investigators found Perez bet on President Trump's State of the Union speech in February, as well as a dozen other speeches the President made over a three-month period.

Some of the other speeches wagered on include a January World Economic Forum address in Davos, Switzerland, and the President's statements during a Medal of Honor ceremony in March.

Kalshi states on its website that insider trading or market manipulation are against its rules. The platform states that it actively screens those making bets and specifically works to screen out people who work in politics, sports, and other areas.

"A Kalshi surveillance investigation caught a White House staffer engaging in prohibited trading activity," Kalshi legal counsel Robert DeNault wrote on X. "Today this individual was subjected to penalties by the CFTC and by our exchange. It doesn't matter who you are: violate our rules or federal law and you will face the consequences."