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A longtime member of President Trump’s staff has been put on administrative leave after revelations that he allegedly used advance access to the president’s prepared remarks to place bets on a prediction market. The reports say the teleprompter operator, who has worked with Mr. Trump for years, is the subject of a federal review after suspicious trades tied to the phrasing of public speeches were flagged to regulators.
According to news accounts, the employee identified as Gabriel Perez allegedly made more than $100,000 by betting on so-called “mentions” markets tied to words or phrases Mr. Trump would use in major addresses, including the State of the Union. The trades were detected by the platform and referred to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which is now reviewing whether inside knowledge was exploited for profit.
The prediction market operator itself reportedly flagged the trades after its surveillance team noticed unusual activity and referred the matter to federal authorities, and some of the alleged winnings were frozen as investigators look into settlement options. That quick self-reporting by the platform ought to be a warning to every institution that the potential for insider activity exists when a tiny circle has privileged access to paperwork and text.
White House spokespeople confirmed the employee has been placed on unpaid leave and said he will no longer be working at the White House — a clear, decisive move from the administration in response to an allegation that betrays public trust. The optics are ugly and the White House has signaled it will not tolerate staffers turning their jobs into personal payday schemes, which is exactly the right stance for any administration that wants to restore faith in government operations.
Patriots should be mad, but also clear-eyed: this is not just a personnel problem, it’s a systems problem that invites corruption when private platforms monetize the words of public officials. The fact that companies and markets can create wagers out of presidential rhetoric makes it inevitable that someone with privileged access could be tempted to cash in — and federal oversight must be rigorous, evenhanded, and focused on actually stopping insider activity rather than scoring political points.
This episode is part of a broader pattern that has already drawn scrutiny: prediction markets have been under investigation before, including probes earlier this year into other suspicious trading tied to political events. That context should prompt lawmakers on both sides to act: tighten rules, mandate transparency for who sees drafts and when, and make sure regulators have clear authority to pursue bad actors.
Hardworking Americans deserve speeches that inform, not side hustles that enrich insiders, and conservatives should lead the call for principled reforms. Hold the guilty accountable, clamp down on loopholes that turn public service into private profit, and ensure that Washington’s housekeeping is as honest as the patriotism we demand from our leaders.
