Trump's teleprompter operator on unpaid leave for alleged prediction market bets on Trump speeches

A report says the teleprompter operator for President Donald Trump is on unpaid leave after allegations he used inside knowledge to place bets on Trump’s speeches in the online prediction market Kalshi. The White House said Thursday that Kalshi enforcement flagged and referred the trades to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which has regulatory authority. ABC News reported that Gabriel Perez, who has operated Trump’s teleprompter since 2016, won more than $100,000 by betting on what the president would say, including during the State of the Union earlier this year. Kalshi’s lawyer, Robert Denault, stated the surveillance team promptly flagged and investigated the activity, without naming Perez. The article also notes Trump reported major crypto-related income in 2025, including $1.2 billion and large profits tied to his businesses, while noting broader market declines.