The Justice Department wanted Americans to help hunt down fraudsters. The internet had a different idea: Why not start with the guy in the White House?
The DOJ rolled out its new Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program on Tuesday, offering rewards of $10,000 to $30,000 for information that leads to criminal charges. The initiative is part of a broader effort led by Vice President JD Vance to crack down on alleged fraud involving government programs.
But almost as soon as the program was announced, critics began flooding social media with suggestions about who should be at the top of the list.
Their answer? Donald Trump.
Instead of simply discussing fraud in welfare or immigration programs, users seized on the announcement as an opportunity to turn the administration’s own initiative back on the president, posting accusations and jokes about collecting the reward.
“So, we’re mass reporting him, right?” wrote popular anti-Trump X user JoJo From Jerz.
Another commenter announced, “I’d like to turn in Donald Jezebel Trump.”
“I thought his middle name was Jeffrey,” one user replied.
Someone else wanted to know the official address of Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Palm Beach estate, adding: “I wanna get rich.”
“I reported Trump for fraud on his own Fraud.gov, 67 Times,” another user claimed.
“Won’t he just turn himself in to get the commission? Then pardon himself,” one user joked.
Another predicted that the online reporting portal could be overwhelmed by people reporting the president, adding that “the jokes write themselves.”
The internet, apparently, had found a new way to turn a government anti-fraud campaign into a political roast.
The reaction highlights a problem for an administration trying to present itself as a watchdog against fraud: its critics are eager to scrutinize the president’s own business dealings, too.
Trump has faced years of criticism over his business interests and the potential conflicts that arise when a president’s private financial interests overlap with government decisions.
According to financial disclosures reviewed by The New York Times, Trump made more than $2.2 billion in the previous year, with roughly $1.4 billion attributed to his family’s cryptocurrency businesses.
His acceptance of a Boeing 747 valued at approximately $400 million from Qatar, intended for use as a future Air Force One, has also prompted questions about ethics, national security and the appropriate boundaries between presidential duties and outside financial interests.
The administration has rejected claims that Trump is improperly profiting from the presidency.
Neither Trump nor members of his family have been criminally charged with fraud in connection with the allegations described here.
The White House declined to comment on the new allegations.
