Of all the ways to get caught insider trading, betting on words you’re literally putting in front of the president’s face has to be one of the more audacious ones.
Gabriel Perez, a teleprompter operator at the White House, is under investigation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for allegedly using his advance knowledge of Trump’s speeches to place profitable wagers on Kalshi, the regulated prediction market platform. Perez reportedly pocketed more than $90,000 by betting on a dozen speeches over a three-month window, a run that Kalshi’s own surveillance team eventually flagged as suspicious.
How it worked
Kalshi operates a product category called “Mentions,” which lets traders bet on whether specific words or topics will appear during public addresses.
The trades were allegedly tied to high-profile events including the State of the Union address in February 2026, a December primetime address, and remarks made at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January. Some reports suggest his total profits may have exceeded $100,000.
