News summary produced by Claude AI
The White House announced Thursday that Gabriel Perez, who has operated President Trump’s teleprompter since 2016, is on unpaid leave following allegations that he used inside knowledge to place bets on an online prediction market regarding what the president would say in major speeches. According to reporting, Perez allegedly won more than $100,000 through such bets on Kalshi, a platform where users can wager on specific phrases and words used in public addresses.
Kalshi’s enforcement chief, Robert Denault, stated that the platform’s surveillance team identified and flagged the trades as suspicious activity, then referred the matter to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which oversees such markets. Denault said Kalshi has been assisting regulators and providing collected evidence. The platform recently implemented a policy requiring users to disclose their employer and prohibits wagering based on nonpublic information obtained through employment.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the situation as “unfortunate” and “a disgrace,” noting that the administration maintains “extremely strict ethical guidelines” regarding such matters. She confirmed the president is aware of the incident.
The matter draws attention to broader questions about administration officials profiting from their positions. Trump’s recent financial disclosures showed he made $1.2 billion from cryptocurrency businesses in 2025, including over $500 million from World Liberty Financial and more than $600 million from sales of commemorative digital coins. Both categories of assets have experienced significant value declines since their sale. Trump’s representatives have defended his business practices, with Leavitt stating the president complies with applicable conflict-of-interest laws and that suggestions otherwise are “absurd.”