Trump Teleprompter Operator
Allegedly Put Money Where POTUS’ Mouth Is, Won $100K on Bets
Published
President Trump‘s teleprompter operator allegedly turned the commander in chief’s speeches into his own personal jackpot … raking in more than $100,000 by betting on what Trump would say before he said it.
Gabriel Perez — Trump’s longtime teleprompter operator — is in settlement talks with federal regulators after investigators found he allegedly used his advance knowledge of POTUS’ remarks to place winning bets on prediction market Kalshi, according to an ABC News report.
The wagers reportedly centered on whether Trump would mention certain words, phrases, or topics during public speeches … with Perez allegedly betting on more than a dozen appearances over a three-month stretch, including the State of the Union and Trump’s address at the World Economic Forum.
As the guy with some of the final eyes on Trump’s scripts — and access to last-minute edits from POTUS himself — Perez seemingly had one hell of an inside edge.
Investigators also reportedly found Perez pulling out of bets mid-speech when Trump skipped words he had wagered on. In other words, Trump’s tendency to go off-script may have thrown a wrench into the alleged operation.
Kalshi says it flagged the suspicious trades to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which is reportedly discussing a deal requiring Perez to surrender his profits and stop making similar wagers. The prediction market has a policy against users placing bets based on information obtained as part of their jobs.
The White House told ABC Perez is cooperating with the CFTC.
