Trump offers a $1m reward for tips leading to an election-fraud conviction ahead of the US midterms

President Trump says anyone reporting voter fraud in past elections or the 2026 midterms will be paid $1m if it leads to an arrest and conviction. He announced the offer on Truth Social eight days before the midterms and repeated it to reporters, but did not say how it would be funded or administered. He also called Brazil's election 'rigged'.

L 31%C 23%R 46%

L 31% · C 23% · R 46% · 13 outlets

Left 0 · Centre-left 4 · Centre 3 · Centre-right 4 · Right 2

Context Sources by lean Video Deep dive Follow the money More coverage

How each side framed it

Left-leaning outlets

'Trump dangles $1m reward' (Guardian, New York Times), with questions over how it would be paid.

Centre outlets

Centre-rated outlets headline it: “Donald Trump offers $1mn reward for tips leading to election fraud conviction” (Financial Times); “Trump offers $1 million for tipoffs leading to vote fraud conviction as midterms approach” (France 24).

Right-leaning outlets

'Identify election fraud and you get $1 million' (Washington Times); a 'bombshell move' (Daily Mail).

Context

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Sources by lean

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Showing 3 from each side of 13 rated outlets (L 4 / C 3 / R 6). More coverage

Video

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Deep dive

A short prompt for thinking it through. We write a fuller side-by-side deep dive for the day's biggest stories.

The paradox: A reward meant to build trust in elections is announced while the president calls another country's vote 'rigged'.

What each side may be protecting: Left: confidence that elections are not being pre-emptively delegitimised. Right: deterring fraud.

A question to hold: Shared question: how many fraud convictions have there been in recent elections, and what would count as success?

Try it: open one left and one right article in Sources by lean and note what each takes for granted.

Follow the money

Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.

Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (13 outlets)

Outlet	Lean	Ownership & funding (MBFC)
NBC News	Centre-left	No ownership data found
New York Times	Centre-left	The Ochs-Sulzberger family controls the New York Times through Class B shares. Since 1967, the company has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYT. Class B shares are those that are held privately. source
The Guardian	Centre-left	The Guardian and its companion publication, the Sunday newspaper The Observer, are owned by Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). Scott Trust Limited was created in 1936 to ensure the editorial independence of the publications and owns Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). source
USA Today	Centre-left	USA Today is owned by the Gannett Company, headquartered in McLean, Virginia. It is one of the largest newspaper publishers in the United States, with interests in newspapers, digital marketing services companies, and television broadcasting. Subscriptions and advertising generate revenue. source
Financial Times	Centre	The Financial Times is owned by The Nikkei, a Japanese news and financial information company that publishes the leading financial paper, The Nikkei. The FT generates revenue through subscriptions, a hard paywall, and advertising..push({}); source
France 24	Centre	France 24 is owned by France Médias Monde, a state-owned French holding company that supervises and coordinates the activities of the major public media organizations broadcasting or publishing internationally from France. Besides government funding, they also generate revenue through advertising. source
The Hill	Centre	In 2021, The Hill was purchased by Nexstar, which owns around 200 TV stations and media outlets nationwide. The founder, chairman, president, and CEO of Nexstar is Perry A. Sook. source
New York Post	Centre-right	The New York Post is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, which owns many conservative/sensational media outlets worldwide. The paper is funded through advertising, subscriptions, and newsstand sales. source
Newsweek	Centre-right	Newsweek is owned by Newsweek Publishing LLC, which is co-owned by Dev Pragad and Johnathan Davis. Newsweek is funded through a paid subscription and advertising model. source
Washington Examiner	Centre-right	The Washington Examiner is owned by Clarity Media Group, owned by Philip Anschutz, an American billionaire entrepreneur who describes himself as a “conservative Christian.” Anschutz is also the owner of the right-leaning Weekly Standard and has donated millions of dollars to right-leaning causes, including anti-LGBT groups, such as the Family Research Council, which has been labeled a hate group. source
Washington Times	Centre-right	Operations Holdings Inc is the Washington Times owner, owned by the Unification Church of South Korea, through their holding company HSA-UWC (Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity). In 1954, Reverend Sun Myung Moon founded this religious movement in South Korea, known for its mass weddings, and its members are referred to as “Moonies.” source
Daily Mail	Right	The Daily Mail is published by Associated Newspapers Limited, part of Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT). DMGT is controlled by the Rothermere family and is 100% owned by Rothermere Continuation Limited. Jonathan Harmsworth, 4th Viscount Rothermere, serves as Chairman..push({}); DMGT became privately owned after delisting from the London Stock Exchange in 2022. source
Newsmax	Right	Newsmax is owned by publicly traded Newsmax Inc., which began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol NMAX on March 31, 2025. The company completed a $75 million public offering after previously raising approximately $225 million through a preferred-stock offering. source