Kalshi operator profits $100K betting on Trump speech markets amid federal investigation
A White House teleprompter operator allegedly used nonpublic knowledge of Trump's prepared remarks to cash in on prediction market bets, triggering the first insider trading probe of its kind.
Gabriel Perez, the man responsible for scrolling Donald Trump’s words across a screen, apparently decided those words were worth more than his government salary. Federal regulators are now investigating whether Trump’s longtime teleprompter operator used advance knowledge of presidential speeches to pocket between $90,000 and $100,000 on Kalshi, the CFTC-regulated prediction market platform.
The case represents the first publicly reported instance of a White House staffer facing insider trading allegations tied to prediction markets.
How a teleprompter operator gamed mention markets
Kalshi operates what it calls “mention markets,” which let traders bet on whether specific words or phrases will appear in a given speech. Perez, who has served as Trump’s teleprompter operator since 2016, would have had access to prepared remarks before they were delivered publicly.
The suspicious trading activity reportedly spanned roughly three months, from late 2025 to mid-2026, and was tied to several high-profile events. These included the State of the Union address and Trump’s January speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Kalshi’s internal surveillance systems flagged the unusual trade patterns. After confirming the trader’s connection to the federal government, the platform froze the profits and referred the matter to the CFTC around July 16, 2026.
Kalshi’s compliance moment
Kalshi’s surveillance systems caught the suspicious activity. The platform detected the patterns, verified the trader’s government role, froze the funds, and made the referral to regulators.
The White House responded by placing Perez on unpaid administrative leave. A March 2026 memo had already warned staff against misusing nonpublic information. Perez is reportedly cooperating with CFTC investigators.
What this means for prediction markets and crypto
No crypto tokens or blockchain-based platforms are directly involved in this case. The prediction market sector has been on a tear. Polymarket, the crypto-based platform built on Polygon, saw massive volumes during the 2024 presidential election cycle. Kalshi has expanded its political contract offerings aggressively.
The frozen $90,000 to $100,000 is a rounding error in the context of prediction market volumes. But the precedent it sets is not.