Trump Teleprompter Tech Accused of Trading on Inside Speech Data

Gabriel Perez, a longtime teleprompter operator for Donald Trump, is currently in settlement talks with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Reports indicate that Perez used his access to official speech scripts to place bets on Kalshi, a prediction market platform. Investigators allege he earned over 100,000 dollars by wagering on specific words and phrases likely to be spoken during public events.

Regulators discovered that Perez placed bets on more than a dozen addresses over three months, including the State of the Union. In some instances, he reportedly adjusted his positions in real time as he watched the speeches. Kalshi internal surveillance systems flagged the suspicious activity and alerted federal authorities.

While federal prosecutors in Manhattan opted not to pursue a criminal case, the CFTC settlement is expected to force Perez to return his profits. Following the disclosure, the White House placed Perez on unpaid administrative leave. This incident highlights the growing scrutiny on prediction markets as they work to implement stricter insider trading policies to satisfy regulators.

This case serves as a warning for the emerging prediction market industry. As platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket look to gain legitimacy with lawmakers, the pressure to prevent workers from using nonpublic information to gain an edge is mounting. Market observers should watch how these platforms strengthen their compliance requirements moving forward.