President Donald Trump's administration has addressed allegations that a White House teleprompter operator bet on the content of the president's speeches using an online prediction market, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirming the president is aware of the reports. Leavitt stated that Trump views the situation as "deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace," leading to the employee's placement on unpaid administrative leave, a decision made by the president. The individual, identified as Gabriel Perez, is alleged to have wagered over $100,000 on bets placed through Kalshi, a platform that allows users to predict outcomes of political events. Perez is accused of placing bets on more than a dozen of Trump's speeches, including the State of the Union address in February and a speech at a Medal of Honor ceremony. Leavitt emphasized that the White House has strict ethical guidelines prohibiting such activities, which are communicated to all staff during onboarding. She noted that the individual "unfortunately violated the plan" and is now facing consequences, including cooperation with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The White House counsel's office was reportedly unaware of the alleged bets, and Leavitt confirmed that no other staffers are under investigation. The incident has sparked broader discussions about the ethical boundaries of political engagement and the use of prediction markets. Kalshi, which has faced scrutiny for its role in election-related betting, recently suspended three congressional candidates for wagering on their own elections. The White House's stance aligns with recent actions by the Trump administration, which has supported platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket amid state efforts to ban prediction markets.#white_house #president_donald_trump #karoline_leavitt #kalshi #gabriel_perez
