Market Pulse: Trump Teleprompter Operator Fined $172K After Dominating Kalshi Bets
Latest reporting indicates that commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), former White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez has been ordered to pay a fine of $172,539.02 after he got caught using Kalshi to bet on Trump’s “mention market” events.
Bitcoin.com News reported on the accusations against Gabriel Perez on July 16, 2026, when it was said that the White House teleprompter operator was under federal investigation.
He was accused of leveraging insider information by betting on specific remarks Trump made during speeches.
Authorities said that Perez netted around $100,000 from these wagers.
28, the CFTC published a press release on the matter.
“The order finds that between December 2025 and February 2026, while working as a teleprompter operator for the White House, Perez traded presidential mention sector contracts, which are event contracts reflecting words or phrases the President may use during his speeches,” the CFTC disclosed on Friday.
The regulator added: “In his position, Perez had access to presidential speeches prior to those speeches being delivered and Perez misappropriated that information—in breach of his duty of trust and confidence.” Perez showcased a high win rate by winning in 39 of 43 contracts hosted on the prediction marketplace Kalshi, and he bought the corresponding contracts before the trading market priced the information and outcomes.
The CFTC order says Perez “must disgorge the profits he made” and pay $107,539.02.