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Trump White House

Trump Teleprompter Operator at Center of Gambling Scandal Is Out of a Job

Gabriel Perez, who allegedly made roughly $100,000 betting on Trump’s speeches, was previously placed on unpaid leave.

Gabriel Perez

It is unclear whether the White House fired Perez or if he resigned. Mark Schiefelbein/AP

By Angie Orellana Hernandez

July 29, 2026 10:26 a.m.

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The teleprompter operator accused of unlawfully gambling on President Donald Trump’s speeches via a prediction marketplace is no longer employed by the White House.

A White House official confirmed Wednesday that Gabriel Perez “no longer works in the federal government.”

It is unclear whether the White House fired Perez or if he resigned.

Perez allegedly placed bets on Kalshi that were flagged by the company’s surveillance team to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, according to Robert DeNault, the head of enforcement for Kalshi.

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“We have charged this individual and have been assisting regulators on this matter and provided evidence we collected, as we do in any referral,” DeNault said in a statement earlier this month.

Perez, who is accused of making roughly $100,000 from the bets, has cooperated with federal investigators from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a source familiar with the matter previously told NOTUS.

Trump called the incident “deeply unfortunate,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a briefing on July 16. At the time, Perez had been placed on unpaid leave.

Leavitt previously told NOTUS that no other White House staff are currently suspected of misconduct related to wagering on prediction markets.

Lawmakers from both parties have advocated for legislation to prohibit federal elected officials and government employees from using insider information to place bets on prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket. In April, the Justice Department alleged that U.S. Army Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, who was involved in the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, used classified information to place a wager on Polymarket.

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NOTUS - Angie Orellana Hernandez Headshot Angie Orellana Hernandez is a reporter at The Washington Sun.

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