A White House teleprompter operator found himself in hot water after a prediction market platform flagged his betting activity tied to President Donald Trump’s speeches. The staffer was placed on unpaid leave as federal regulators now look into the suspicious trades.
White House staffer was placed on unpaid leave after Kalshi flagged speech bets
According to The Washington Post, a White House teleprompter operator has been placed on unpaid leave after betting on President Donald Trump’s speeches through prediction market platform Kalshi. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Trump personally placed the staffer on leave. The operator is currently cooperating with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Kalshi’s internal surveillance team initially identified the suspicious trades back in March 2026. Robert DeNault, the company’s head of enforcement, said the team “promptly flagged and referred these trades to the CFTC after an exchange investigation.” The wagers reportedly targeted common words used in Trump’s public remarks rather than sensitive subjects.
Company analysts eventually determined the account belonged to a federal government employee working as a teleprompter operator. The staffer had earned more than $90,000 in profits before Kalshi froze the account. An investigation involving a direct interview with the employee followed shortly after.
Wagering on political outcomes has rapidly grown into a major industry across the United States. Kalshi reported roughly $129 million at stake on political markets as of January. Trump expressed skepticism about prediction markets in April but reversed course days later. He told reporters he “knows some people who are very smart, and they like it.”
This case adds to a mounting series of enforcement actions against government insiders placing informed bets. Federal authorities in April charged a Special Forces soldier with exploiting classified knowledge of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s capture. He allegedly secured approximately $400,000 through online prediction market wagers. Three congressional candidates were also fined and banned from Kalshi for betting on their own races.
The Trump administration has widely supported online betting and prediction market platforms. Betting company logos featured prominently at a UFC event hosted on White House grounds. Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. serves as an adviser to both Kalshi and Polymarket.
Originally reported by Vritti Johar on Mandatory.com.
