Trump's teleprompter operator must pay nearly $173,000 for placing bets on the president's speeches
According to the CFTC's order, between December 2025 and February 2026, while working for the White House, Gabriel Pérez traded contracts known as "presidential mention markets," which predict whether certain words or phrases will be used by the president during his speeches.
(Voz / Christian Camacho)
Gabriel Pérez, who worked as a teleprompter operator for the White House, will have to pay nearly $173,000 for using non-public information about President Donald Trump's speeches to place bets on event contracts on the Kalshi prediction platform.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) reported that Pérez must return $107,539.02 earned from his trades and pay a civil penalty of $65,000. In addition, he agreed not to violate the Commodity Exchange Act or CFTC regulations again and was barred from trading for three years.
According to the CFTC's order, between December 2025 and February 2026, while working for the White House, Pérez traded contracts known as "presidential mention markets," which reflect whether certain words or phrases will be used by the president during his speeches.
Pérez's profits
The CFTC noted that the civil penalty represents a substantial reduction under its new cooperation policy, due to the cooperation Pérez provided during the investigation. The commission also acknowledged KalshiEX's assistance in the case.
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