Key takeaways:
- Trump says the $1 million reward requires an arrest and conviction tied to a voter fraud report.
- Trump has not explained how the reward would be funded.
- NBC News reports that a Heritage Foundation tracker has recorded more than 1,600 voter fraud incidents over 40 years, a tiny fraction of votes cast.
President Donald Trump says he will pay $1 million to anyone whose report of voter fraud in a past election or the upcoming 2026 midterms leads to an arrest and conviction. He has not said where the money would come from.
“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 Monday on Truth Social.
He repeated the offer to reporters before boarding Air Force One for a campaign rally in Mississippi, according to The Guardian. “I’m also going to be issuing a $1m 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.
A White House spokesperson offered no further details when asked by NBC News, referring the outlet to Trump’s post. The Guardian said it had also sought comment from the White House.
The announcement comes ahead of November’s midterm elections and follows years of Trump’s unfounded claims that widespread fraud occurs in U.S. elections, including his claim that fraud cost him the 2020 election. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud. Individual cases do occur and are usually caught, NBC News reported. A tracker maintained by the conservative Heritage Foundation has collected more than 1,600 incidents over 40 years — a tiny fraction of the votes cast during that period, according to NBC News.
The reward is the latest election-related move by Trump and his administration. NBC News reported that the administration has devoted significant resources to looking for noncitizens on state voter rolls, although studies show noncitizen voting is rare. The Justice Department has sued California officials in an effort to require them to segregate mail ballots it says were sent to potential noncitizens, NBC News reported. California Attorney General Rob Bonta accused the administration of “politicizing and weaponizing the law” in its efforts to restrict alleged noncitizen voting, according to The Guardian.
The Justice Department also sued Alaska officials last week at Trump’s request to prevent certification of the U.S. Senate race if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses, NBC News reported. Courts have blocked Trump from making sweeping changes to mail voting and requiring documentary proof of citizenship to vote, according to NBC News. The Guardian reported that Democratic state attorneys general expanded their coordination earlier this month to counter potential federal interference in the midterms.
Trump recently announced a separate $25 million government fraud whistleblower program and told reporters he would decide who qualified for that prize, NBC News reported. He has also promised $5,000 payments to Americans if Republicans retain control of Congress, without specifying a funding source, the outlet reported.
A smaller election-fraud reward produced a payout after Texas Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick offered $25,000 for tips in 2020. The Guardian, citing a 2021 Washington Post report, said the first payment went to a Democratic poll worker in Pennsylvania whose tip led to the conviction of a Republican who voted twice — once in his own name and once in his son’s.
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