$1 MILLION FOR A TIP: Trump Offers Cash for Voter Fraud Reports

One week before the midterms, the president says anyone whose voter fraud report leads to an arrest and conviction gets $1 million. He has not said who pays for it.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says he will pay $1 million to anyone whose report of voter fraud leads to an arrest and conviction, an offer he announced on Truth Social on Monday, one week before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

The offer covers reports about fraud in past elections as well as the coming midterms, according to the announcement. Trump did not say how the payments would be funded, who would decide whether a claim qualifies, or what process a tipster would follow.

The announcement landed at a politically charged moment: with control of Congress on the line next Tuesday, both parties are already fighting over election rules, mail ballots, and how votes are counted. A million-dollar bounty for fraud tips is unlike anything a sitting president has offered before.

Critics were quick to raise questions. Election officials and voting-rights advocates have long noted that documented cases of voter fraud in American elections are rare, and that large-scale fraud claims have repeatedly failed to hold up in court. They also warned that a cash reward could flood officials with unverified claims in the final days before voting.

Supporters of the idea argue the opposite: that a big reward gives ordinary people a reason to come forward with what they see, and that the arrest-and-conviction requirement means only proven cases get paid.

What remains unanswered is the machinery. A reward program needs money, rules, and someone in charge of judging claims — none of which the announcement spelled out. Whether the offer becomes a real program or stays a campaign-season message may matter more than the headline number.

For now, the practical effect is the debate itself: one week out from the midterms, election integrity is back at the center of the conversation.

The timing also matters for election administrators. With early voting already underway in many states, local officials say their focus is on running the election, not fielding a wave of bounty-driven tips. Several have said in past cycles that unfounded fraud claims slow down counting and strain small election offices.

Trump has made election integrity a signature issue since 2020, repeatedly claiming — without evidence accepted by courts — that past elections were marred by fraud. The reward offer extends that message into a concrete promise, and it gives supporters a direct way to participate in it.

Reporting: USA Today