President Donald Trump has dismissed his teleprompter operator, Gabriel Perez, after federal investigators discovered he allegedly used advance access to presidential speeches to place bets on a prediction market, amassing over $100,000 in winnings. The breach came to light when the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) flagged suspicious trading activity on the Kalshi platform, which allows users to bet on whether specific words or phrases will appear in public addresses.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Perez's termination during a press briefing. She stated that the President views the situation as "painfully unfortunate and, frankly, a disgrace." Leavitt clarified that Perez has been placed on unpaid administrative leave and "will no longer be here."
Perez, who had managed Trump's teleprompter scripts since his 2016 presidential campaign, allegedly wagered on more than a dozen presidential events. These included a December primetime address, an appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and a Medal of Honor ceremony in March.
Leavitt asserted that the incident was the result of a "rogue actor bypassing existing protocols" rather than a systemic failure of White House security or ethics. She emphasized that strict ethical guidelines are in place and communicated to all White House staff. According to Leavitt, the betting platform itself alerted the CFTC to the suspicious activity, which initiated the investigation that led to Perez's dismissal.
When asked about potential involvement by other administration officials, Leavitt responded, "Not to my knowledge, not that I've been made aware of." A new teleprompter operator will be in place for upcoming speeches.