Trump offers $1 million for tipoffs that lead to voter fraud convictions
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US Vice President JD Vance listens to President Donald Trump speak, as they make a joint appearance in the Oval Office to announce a whistleblower program to encourage the public to report alleged fraud, at the White House in Washington, DC, US, October 20, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
WASHINGTON, Oct 26 - President Donald Trump said on Monday the US would give $1 million to anyone who reported voter fraud that leads to an arrest and conviction, a week before midterm elections that polls show could prove difficult for his Republican Party.
BACKGROUND AND QUOTE:
• The Trump administration has taken an increasingly aggressive approach to election oversight, for example by pressing states for voter-registration data and arguing stricter measures are needed to ensure public confidence in the vote.
• Critics, including political experts as well as Democratic and some Republican election officials, view the moves as federal overreach.
• "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 on Truth Social on Monday.
• Some election officials have told Reuters they are preparing for potential federal interference in midterm elections.
• Trump has made false claims related to elections in the past, including not acknowledging his defeat in the 2020 elections.
• His supporters eventually stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent congressional certification of those elections.
• Republicans currently hold a narrow majority in the House of Representatives and Senate.
• However, ahead of the midterm vote in which control of Congress is at stake, Trump's approval has remained low due to voter concerns about the high cost of living and rising fuel prices from the US-Israeli war on Iran. REUTERS