A White House teleprompter operator, Gabriel Perez, has been placed on unpaid administrative leave after reportedly betting on dozens of President Donald Trump's speeches using the prediction market platform Kalshi. His access to the President's prepared remarks gave him an apparent informational advantage, raising concerns about insider trading on a betting platform that is meant to operate on public information.

Perez is alleged to have won more than $100,000 wagering on the length of Trump's speeches, including the State of the Union address, a World Economic Forum appearance in January and a Medal of Honor ceremony in March. Suspicion grew after he reportedly withdrew certain bets whenever Trump deviated from the script, prompting Kalshi to flag the trades to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which is said to be willing to settle if Perez returns his winnings; he has reportedly admitted to some of the trades. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the episode "deeply unfortunate" and a "disgrace," confirming Perez would no longer work at the White House, while Kalshi has separately introduced rules since April barring politicians and athletes from betting on their own events and requiring employment disclosures for certain trades.