A federal employee who operated teleprompters at the White House, Gabriel Perez, was investigated after allegedly using his access to speech content to place bets worth nearly $100,000 on words President Donald Trump would use in major addresses, including the State of the Union. The wagers were placed on Kalshi, a prediction markets platform, whose analysts flagged unusual activity on "mention markets" – contracts betting on whether a speaker will use particular terms – and traced the account to the White House staffer. The case underlined concerns about insider access being exploited for financial gain on a platform where political speeches can move markets worth billions.

Kalshi froze more than $90,000 in Perez's account before it could be withdrawn and passed evidence to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates the platform. Perez, who had worked at the White House since 2016, was placed on unpaid leave and subsequently left his post, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirming President Trump was aware of the case. Sources said Perez had been "fully cooperative" with investigators, and federal prosecutors in Manhattan declined to open a criminal case, while the CFTC would not confirm or deny any ongoing probe.