A seemingly unconcerned President Donald Trump appeared to brush aside questions about the illicit practice of insider trading and betting when asked about the arrest of a special forces service member by federal authorities over alleged wagering on the operation to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
During a brief Oval Office press gaggle on Thursday, April 23, a reporter questioned the president about the soldier’s arrest for reportedly betting on the raid and pulling in $400,000 through Polymarket, a prediction market, CNN reported.
That service member, 38-year-old Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, helped plan the operation and allegedly placed a string of bets totaling $33,000 from late December through January 2, the day before the raid, The Hill reported.
Van Dyke was indicted on several counts, including three charges of violating the Commodity Exchange Act, a wire fraud count, and an unlawful money transaction, The Hill reported.
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“Are you concerned that federal employees are betting on these prediction markets and potentially getting rich?” a reporter asked Trump.
“Well, I don’t know about it, but was he betting that they would get him or they wouldn’t get him?” Trump asked nonchalantly.
“It sounds like he was betting on his removal from office, that Maduro would be removed,” the reporter replied before Trump interrupted her with a quip about former pro baseball player and manager Pete Rose, who was banned from the sport for life in 1989 for betting on games.
“That’s like Pete Rose betting on his own team. It’s a little like Pete Rose,” Trump repeated as those around him chuckled. “Pete Rose, they kept him out of the Hall of Fame because he bet on his own team.”
“Now, if he bet against his team, that would be no good, but he bet on his own team,” a seemingly unconcerned Trump said before adding, “I’ll look into it.”
But the reporter wasn’t finished.
“There’re also bets being placed as well on the Iran conflict too and there’s been some tracking where people suspect there’s insider trading happening on these markets around the war. Are you concerned about that?” she pressed.
Trump, again, did not seem that concerned.
“Well, you know, the whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino. And you look at what’s going on all over the world, in Europe and every place, they’re doing these betting things, I was never much in favor, and I don’t like it conceptually, but it is what it is,” he said.
Then added, “No, I think that I’m not happy with any of that stuff, but they have all these different sites have predictive markets. It’s a crazy world. It’s a much different world than it was.”
A social media frenzy erupted, accusing Trump and his staff of being complicit.
“His whole administration is doing it. But go ahead and go after Soldier risking his life. Lot’s of bets from DC about him going down!” an X user noted.
X user Syd Ferret agreed, “Trump is so corrupt and narcissistic that he can’t recognize corruption unless it somehow threatens his narcissistic delusions. And he only gets away with it because there are so many unbelievably stupid people.”
“Listen to the degenerate. He has zero morals or values. SMH,” another pointed out.
Others wondered if the president himself was making these kinds of bets.
“Wow…what a character revelation. Trump does not think it is wrong to make a wager with inside information. How often has he done that?”
Reports of possible Trump staffers betting on the Iran conflict were such a concern that White House staff were sent an email in March warning them against betting on the war, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Several lawmakers have called for an investigation into possible insider trading, both inside the Trump administration and by others outside the administration who may have been privy to inside information about the war.
