Trump Teleprompter Operator Probed for Profiting Over $100K Betting on Speeches

U.S. authorities are investigating Gabriel Perez, the longtime teleprompter operator for former President Donald Trump, over allegations that he profited more than $100,000 by betting on the content of Trump's speeches. Perez, who serves as a technical aide and is the last person to see the speech texts before Trump delivers them, is reportedly in talks with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to reach a settlement.

Perez allegedly used insider information to place wagers on "Calshi," a platform where users bet on specific words, phrases, or topics appearing in public speeches. Investigators identified over a dozen speeches where Perez made similar bets, including the February State of the Union address and the World Economic Forum speech in Davos. Calshi's monitoring system flagged the unusual activity and alerted authorities.

Sources told ABC News that Perez often made last-minute changes to Trump's speech texts, who frequently deviated from the written script. During the investigation, it emerged that Perez sometimes canceled bets mid-speech when Trump skipped sections containing the wagered words. The White House stated it expects all government employees to adhere to strict ethical guidelines and confirmed Perez is cooperating with investigators.

The Manhattan District Attorney's office was informed but decided not to pursue separate criminal charges. Under the anticipated settlement, Perez is expected to return his earnings and commit to refraining from similar betting activities in the future.