Federal regulators are negotiating a settlement with Gabriel Pérez, President Trump’s longtime teleprompter operator, who allegedly profited nearly $100,000 through “mention markets” on Kalshi by betting on words and phrases Trump would say during public addresses—insider access he exploited as a federal employee. Kalshi’s surveillance systems flagged Pérez’s suspicious betting activity, leading to the investigation; he is now on unpaid leave, while White House officials condemned his conduct as “a disgrace.” This marks the first known case of a White House insider being investigated for such insider trading in prediction markets, which have surged recently amid high-profile speculative bets on political events.
Original Article Source Link:
https://www.npr.org/2026/07/16/nx-s1-5896223/kalshi-trump-white-house-teleprompter-operator-bet