Kalshi flags Trump-related trades as teleprompter operator faces federal probe

Federal regulators are investigating whether Gabriel Perez, a teleprompter operator for President Trump, used early access to Trump's speeches to trade Kalshi event contracts, including mention markets tied to whether specific topics or words would be referenced. Perez allegedly generated more than $100,000 in profit and is in talks to settle civil claims brought by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Kalshi said it flagged the trades through internal surveillance and referred the matter to the CFTC while assisting regulators. The reported trading spanned more than a dozen speeches over three months, including Trump's State of the Union address in February, a December primetime speech, a January appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and remarks at a Medal of Honor ceremony in March. Investigators are examining whether Perez used access to prepared remarks, including last-minute changes, and at times adjusted positions during speeches when Trump departed from the teleprompter. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan were alerted but reportedly did not open a criminal investigation. The White House said Perez is cooperating with the CFTC and in March warned staff against using nonpublic job-related information to bet on prediction markets. The case adds to broader scrutiny of prediction markets as Kalshi also faces regulatory disputes in states including Illinois and Michigan over the oversight of event-based contracts.