Trump Offers $1M Reward for Voter Fraud Tips
US President Donald Trump has offered a $1 million reward to anyone whose tip about voter fraud leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible, announcing the plan on his Truth Social platform on Monday, October 26, just eight days before the 2026 midterm elections.
“Anybody reporting Voter Fraud in the past Elections, or the upcoming 2026 Midterm Election, will be paid $1,000,000 upon the arrest and conviction of those that created the Fraud!” Trump wrote in the post, which was published at 3:31 PM Eastern Time on October 26.
What Trump announced
Trump repeated the offer to reporters before boarding Air Force One for a campaign rally in Corinth, Mississippi. “I’m also going to be issuing a $1 million bonus or reward, or whatever you want to call it, for anybody that reports voter fraud, leading to the arrest and conviction of somebody,” he said.
The offer covers alleged voter fraud in past elections as well as the upcoming midterm vote on November 3, when voters will decide which party controls Congress. Trump did not say whether the rewards would be paid from government funds or from his own resources, and the administration has not explained how claims would be assessed, who would decide whether a tip qualifies, or how convictions in state courts would be handled.
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Why the timing matters
The announcement comes at a sensitive moment in the US election campaign. Polls reported this week show Democrats pulling ahead as Republicans fight to retain control of both chambers of Congress. A Democratic victory would threaten to stall Trump’s agenda and expose his administration to congressional investigations during his final two years in office.
Trump has repeatedly claimed, without presenting evidence accepted by courts, that he lost the 2020 presidential election because of widespread voter fraud. Those claims were rejected in court challenges at the time. Studies have consistently found voter fraud to be exceptionally rare, particularly voting by non-citizens, which is already illegal in federal elections.
A pattern of pre-election promises
The $1 million reward is the latest in a series of extraordinary pre-election offers from the president. Last week, Trump rolled out a separate programme offering payments to tipsters who help uncover fraud in government programmes, with whistleblowers promised a 1 percent “commission” on recovered money, with no stated limit.
He has also sent $500 rebate cheques to about one million Americans he said were overcharged through the Affordable Care Act’s federal exchange, and $90 payments to 21 million seniors by diverting funds from a Medicare improvement fund. In addition, he has promised $5,000 dividend cheques to all American adults if Republicans win control of Congress, a proposal costing more than $1 trillion that would require congressional approval and that even some of his allies have criticised.
Reaction and unanswered questions
Supporters of the reward say it could encourage genuine whistleblowers to come forward, pointing to recent high-profile cases including the arrest of 28 foreign nationals in California who the federal government alleges fraudulently obtained and cast ballots. Critics say the offer is designed to sow doubt about the election result before votes are counted, and note that Trump has also questioned the result of Brazil’s presidential election this week, calling it “rigged” and “corrupt” without presenting evidence after incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won the October 25 runoff.
The White House shared Trump’s Truth Social post on X after it was published, but has given no further details on how the scheme would operate. With the midterms eight days away, the key questions remain unanswered: where the money will come from, how tips will be investigated, and what happens if a conviction takes years.
Source credit: Reporting by USA Today, The Times of Israel and Reuters, October 26-27, 2026.