Kalshi says it reported suspicious trades tied to President Donald Trump’s speeches to federal regulators after identifying unusual activity on its prediction market, according to multiple reports. ABC News, cited by The Hill and Forbes, reports that Gabriel Perez—a long-time White House teleprompter operator who has worked for Trump since 2016—placed bets on the Kalshi platform that tracked whether certain phrases or topics appeared in Trump’s remarks. The reports say Perez made nearly $100,000 in these trades over a span of months and that Kalshi’s compliance team flagged the activity and referred it to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The reports further state that Perez is in settlement discussions with the CFTC regarding allegations that he used nonpublic information to profit from the bets. Kalshi said it is cooperating with regulators. A White House spokesperson and the White House’s ethics guidance are also cited as emphasizing that staffers should follow restrictions, including warnings issued to staffers not to bet on world events in prediction markets. The sources describe interactions between the CFTC, federal prosecutors, and Perez, including that prosecutors did not pursue a criminal case, while regulators have discussed the possibility of resolving the matter through settlement terms.
Kalshi Flags Teleprompter Operator’s $100K Bets on Trump Speeches to U.S. Regulators
Kalshi says it reported suspicious trades tied to President Donald Trump’s speeches to federal regulators after identifying unusual activity on its prediction market, according to multiple reports. AB...
- Kalshi reported suspicious Kalshi trades linked to President Trump’s speeches to the CFTC.
- Reports name Gabriel Perez, a longtime White House teleprompter operator since 2016, as the bettor.
- The alleged activity involves Kalshi’s market that tracks whether specific words or topics are mentioned in public speeches.
- Multiple outlets report Perez made nearly $100,000 (over $100,000 in some coverage) from the trades.
- The CFTC is reported to be pursuing settlement discussions with Perez; accounts also say prosecutors declined to pursue a criminal investigation.
Gabriel Perez is reportedly in talks with federal investigators to settle allegations of using insider information.
3 hours agoThe prediction market platform Kalshi said Thursday that it flagged suspicious trades on President Trump's speeches to federal regulators that are reportedly connected to the president's longtime teleprompter operator. ABC News reported that Gabriel Perez, who was first hired by Trump in 2016, is in settlement talks with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over...
4 hours agoA White House teleprompter operator appears to have made over $100,000 betting on President Trump’s speeches.ABC News, citing unnamed sources, reports that a longtime staffer for the president, Gabriel Perez, was placing bets on Trump’s speeches on the prediction market Kalshi, sparking an investigation from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC.Perez, a technical assistant, has operated Trump’s teleprompter since 2016, and is now speaking to federal investigators over allegations that he profited from inside knowledge. Perez allegedly bet on several of Trump’s speeches over three months, including the president’s prime-time address in December 2025, his remarks at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland in January 2026, and a Trump speech in March at a Medal of Honor ceremony.Kalshi reportedly alerted the CFTC about suspicious activity on its “Mentions” market, which allows bets on whether certain words, topics, or phrases come up in public speech.“Our surveillance team promptly flagged and referred these trades to the CFTC, and we are cooperating and assisting regulators,” the lead lawyer for Kalshi, Bobby DeNault, told ABC News in a statement.“The White House has strict ethics guidelines that we expect all staffers and officials to follow,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said to ABC News. “The staffer in question is fully cooperating with the CFTC.”In late March, the White House warned its staffers not to bet on world events in prediction markets.Perez usually is the last person to see Trump’s prepared speeches, even taking last-minute edits from the president. In some cases, investigators found that Perez would change his bets while Trump was in the middle of a speech after the president skipped over certain words.After meeting with regulators in the last few months, Perez acknowledged making the trades, and the CFTC alerted federal prosecutors in New York, who decided against a criminal investigation. CFTC regulators are reportedly willing to settle with Perez, allowing him to return his profits and refrain from any future bets.In April, a special forces soldier involved in capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was charged with using confidential intelligence to win $400,000 on the prediction market Polymarket. It seems some in the Trump administration see their positions as a way to make money, even trading in national secrets.
4 hours agoGabriel Perez is reportedly in talks with federal investigators to settle allegations of using insider information.
4 hours ago
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