The teleprompter operator for President Donald Trump is on unpaid leave following reports that he leveraged knowledge about the president’s speeches for betting purposes on the prediction market, Kalshi, the White House announced Thursday.
The compliance chief at the company stated that Kalshi reached out to federal regulators over alleged bets tied to the president’s public addresses. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged the president’s awareness of the situation, describing it as “unfortunate” and “embarrassing.”
“The White House has extremely strict ethical guidelines regarding such matters,” Leavitt told journalists, adding that the assistant is on unpaid leave.
ABC News reported on Thursday that Gabriel Perez, who has operated Trump’s teleprompter since 2016, used inside information to win over $100,000 in bets on key presidential speeches, including the State of the Union address earlier this year.
Robert Denault, Kalshi’s attorney and compliance chief, posted on X about how Kalshi’s surveillance team promptly identified, investigated, and referred these matters to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which holds regulatory authority in these cases. Perez was not mentioned in Denault’s statement.
The ABC investigation is based on multiple anonymous sources familiar with the issue. It detailed suspicious activity in Kalshi’s “Mentions” market, where users can bet on specific phrases and words potentially used in public speeches. Kalshi recently enforced a policy requiring users to disclose their employment and prohibits betting based on work-related information.
Recent reports suggest members of the administration, including Trump himself, are financially benefiting from the presidency. Trump’s latest financial disclosures revealed earnings of $1.2 billion from cryptocurrency ventures in 2025, despite his investors facing losses in markets he aimed to shield from federal regulations.
Trump gained over $500 million from World Liberty Financial through new cryptocurrency offerings, including “governance tokens,” according to the mandatory annual disclosure with the Office of Government Ethics. Another crypto business, CIC Digital LLC, earned over $600 million from souvenir “meme” coins adorned with Trump’s likeness. Both tokens and coins have dropped in value post-sales.
The president has also profited from merchandise and political event contracts at his properties, substantially boosting his net worth since his return to office. Trump’s advisors have defended his personal and family business activities.
“The president complies with all conflict-of-interest laws applicable to the president,” Leavitt stated earlier this year. It’s “absurd for anyone to suggest this president is profiting from the presidency.”