President Trump Teleprompter Under CFTC Investigation for Insider Trading on Kalshi

Gabriel Perez, a teleprompter operator for President Donald Trump, is under investigation for his activity in prediction markets. According to an ABC News report, Perez was placing bets on Kalshi Mentions markets, betting on the likelihood that President Trump would say certain words or phrases.

He is under investigation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over potential insider trading. Federal prosecutors have not announced criminal charges, and ABC News reported that Perez is discussing a possible settlement with regulators.

Kalshi Surveillance Flagged The Trump’s Teleprompter Trades

Kalshi reportedly flagged Perez’s activity on the platform in March after he had made over $90,000 in profits from those Mention contracts. According to the company, the trades did not follow the usual buying and selling pattern, leading to suspicions, as market makers also flagged some of the trades.

The platform used KYC data required during account opening to identify who was behind it, and found that it worked for the federal government. Kalshi has since frozen the account with most of the profits still in it while reporting to the CFTC.

Perez reportedly traded contracts related to Trump speeches between December 2025 and March 2026. These included his speech at Davos in January and a State of the Union address in February. The investigation shows that Perez changed his bets in the middle of Trump speeches in some cases.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later confirmed Perez had been placed on unpaid administrative leave. She said President Trump considered the allegations “deeply unfortunate” and “a disgrace.”

She added that Trump will use another operator for the State of the Union address tonight. Perez is a longtime teleprompter operator for Trump, working with the President since Trump’s 2016 campaign.

Incident Puts Further Scrutiny on Prediction Markets

Earlier this year, U.S. Army Special Forces Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke faced insider-trading allegations after authorities accused him of using non-public operational information while trading prediction-market contracts related to a U.S. mission targeting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Van Dyke, a master sergeant in the US Army Special Forces, was involved in the mission. His actions raised concerns about national security, leading to calls for increased crackdown on insider trading on prediction market platforms, even as the sector continues to grow.

This has led to increased regulatory activity from the CFTC to prevent such market manipulation. The White House also issued a memo in March warning staff against insider trading.

Meanwhile, Kalshi has introduced changes to crack down on insider trading on its platform. These include its move last month, which requires traders in certain markets to provide details of their employment. It also introduced new whistleblower features.

ABC News reported that federal prosecutors have not opened a criminal investigation. According to the report, the CFTC has discussed a potential settlement that could require Perez to forfeit profits generated from the trades.