Erin MansfieldUSA TODAY
Updated July 16, 2026, 4:29 p.m. ET
A White House teleprompter operator who made thousands of dollars betting on President Donald Trump’s speeches is on unpaid administrative leave and will not be working July 16, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
“The White House has extremely strict ethical guidelines with respect to issues like this,” Leavitt said. She did not name the employee but confirmed that she read a report about an employee and discussed the issue with Trump.
“He believes it’s deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace,” Leavitt said.
She confirmed the employee had been put on unpaid administrative leave.
According to ABC News, Gabriel Perez started at the White House in 2016 and made more than $100,00 on bets through the prediction market Kalshi. The platform allows people to bet on specific words that are in the president’s speeches.
“I think this played out exactly how it should,” Leavitt said. “Kalshi notified the (Commodities Future Trading Commission) of suspicious activity. They investigated that, identified the individual, and now he will no longer be working at the White House.”
The Commodities Future Trading Commission told USA TODAY that it does not confirm or deny investigations.
Leavitt said she is not aware of any other White House employees who have made similar bets with privileged information.
