Donald Trump’s longtime teleprompter operator raked in more than $100,000 using inside knowledge of what the president would say during his State of the Union address, a new report alleges.
Gabriel Perez, who has operated Trump’s teleprompter since 2016 and was one of only a handful of people to have a copy of Trump’s speech in advance, made the huge profit on the prediction market Kalshi this term, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.
The network reports that a federal probe was launched into Perez’s trading after unusual activity was flagged by Kalshi on its “Mentions” market, where gamblers can wager on whether specific words or topics are mentioned during a public speech or national broadcast.
Kalshi bars users from placing bets based on information obtained as part of their work. The company reportedly updated its policies last month to require users to disclose their place of employment.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a Thursday afternoon briefing that Perez has since been placed on unpaid leave. She said that the decision was made by Trump, who “believes it’s deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace.”
ABC reports that Perez, in addition to successfully gambling on the State of the Union, also profited from more than a dozen Trump speeches over a three-month period. That reportedly includes a primetime address in December, a January address at the World Economic Forum, and remarks during a Medal of Honor ceremony in March.
Sources told ABC that Perez even backed out of some of his bets mid-speech as Trump skipped over chunks of his prepared remarks.
Regulators reportedly met with Perez in recent months, and he admitted to making some of the trades—but ABC reports that federal prosecutors declined to open a criminal probe into the matter.
The White House reminded staff in March that insider trading is a federal offense after a flurry of bets on major incidents, including the U.S. capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, were allegedly made by insiders, including a soldier who was part of the operation.
Perez was hired by Trump in 2016 after his team Googled “teleprompters” and the company he worked for in New York came up, Politico reported in 2020.
Despite being hired by chance, Perez has become one of the president’s trusted aides, with sources telling ABC News that he often takes last-second edits to public remarks from Trump himself.
Perez was previously under federal and congressional scrutiny in 2021 over alleged edits made before Trump’s remarks on Jan. 6, just before his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
Despite his proximity to the president, Perez has kept a low profile, even declining an interview for a Politico profile on his all-important role in the administration.
That Politico profile said, “Perez has become the one person Trump trusts to manage his oratorical acrobatics, embellishments, and ad-libs during even the most scripted appearances.”
Perez returned to the White House for MAGA 2.0. Now holding the title of Deputy Assistant to the President and Technical Adviser, he has an annual salary of $175,000, just $20,000 less than senior staffers like Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
