United States of America

Trump Teleprompter Operator Fined $172.5K for Speech Betting

Is the CFTC's punishment of Gabriel Perez true accountability or government hypocrisy given Trump's own prediction market ties?

Published 1 hour ago

Trump Teleprompter Operator Fined $172.5K for Speech Betting

Story

Above: Gabriel Perez cleans a teleprompter at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 5, 2024. Image credit: John Moore/Getty Images

The Spin

Narrative A

Perez got caught using insider access to Trump's speeches to rake in over $107,500 betting on prediction markets — and now he's paying for it. The nearly $173,000 in penalties and a three-year trading ban highlight accountability when someone abuses a position of public trust for personal profit.

FOX News on X

The Epoch Times on X

Narrative B

The Perez penalty looks a lot less principled when Trump himself holds a major stake in a service that sells early access to his Truth Social posts. Condemning an aide for profiting off advance knowledge of presidential words while personally benefiting from a similar setup is a tough position to defend.

Mario Nawfal on X