Federal regulators are investigating alleged prediction-market bets made by a White House teleprompter operator, Gabriel Perez, on President Trump’s speeches, which reportedly yielded over $100,000 in profits. Perez is reportedly in discussions to resolve civil claims with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The White House has placed Perez on administrative leave without pay, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt stating his reaction to the news was "deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace."

Prediction-market platform Kalshi flagged Perez’s bets, which coincided with several Trump speeches, including the February State of the Union address. Kalshi initiated an internal probe, interviewed Perez, froze his account, and withheld over $90,000 of his profits before referring the matter to the CFTC. Kalshi’s head of enforcement, Robert De Nault, confirmed their cooperation and provision of collected evidence.

A White House spokesman indicated Perez is cooperating with the CFTC. This investigation follows previous White House guidance issued in March, reminding staff that leveraging nonpublic information for private gain is prohibited, a warning that came amidst geopolitical tensions and suspicious futures market activity. The White House had previously cautioned employees against using prediction markets such as Kalshi.