Trump offers $1 million reward for voter fraud tips
The president said payment will be due only after suspects are arrested and convicted, a condition that distinguishes this offer from similar incentives in 2020.
By Mariam Saleh ·
The 2026 midterm elections are approaching, and President Donald Trump has introduced a new financial incentive for reporting irregularities in the voting process. The move follows a period of heightened scrutiny regarding election integrity ahead of the November ballot.
On Monday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would pay $1,000,000 to anyone who reports voter fraud in past elections or the upcoming midterms. The post specified that the reward is contingent upon the arrest and conviction of the individuals responsible for the fraud. He thanked the public for their attention to the matter in the same post.
Later that day, the president repeated the offer to reporters before boarding Air Force One for a campaign stop in Mississippi. He described the payment as a bonus or reward for anyone whose report leads to the arrest and conviction of a suspect. Trump did not specify a timeline for the payouts or the legal mechanism that would enforce the contract.
The administration has not yet disclosed how it intends to fund these potential rewards. The White House has been contacted for further comment regarding the source of the money and the criteria for verifying reports.
This announcement arrives as Democratic state attorneys general coordinate to counter what they describe as potential federal interference in the elections. California Attorney General Rob Bonta recently criticized the administration’s efforts to restrict alleged noncitizen voting. Bonta accused the administration of politicizing and weaponizing the law in that context.
Trump has made repeated claims about widespread voter fraud in recent years. In 2020, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick offered a $25,000 reward for election fraud tips. Patrick stated at the time that he supported the president’s efforts to identify fraud and ensure every legal vote was counted.
Following Patrick’s 2020 offer, Eric Frank, a Democratic poll worker in Pennsylvania, received the first payout. Frank’s tip led to the conviction of a 72-year-old Republican who had voted twice, once in his own name and once in his son’s name.
Source: The Guardian
