Here’s a bombshell that’s bound to ignite fierce debate: Former President Donald Trump has reignited his long-standing attack on President Joe Biden’s use of the autopen, boldly declaring that he’s ‘cancelling’ all actions signed with it. But here’s where it gets controversial—Trump claims that because Biden allegedly didn’t personally sign these documents, they’re null and void. Is this a legitimate legal challenge, or just political theater? Let’s dive in.
In a fiery post on Truth Social, Trump proclaimed, ‘Any document signed by Sleepy Joe Biden with the Autopen, which was approximately 92% of them, is hereby terminated, and of no further force or effect.’ And this is the part most people miss—he didn’t specify which actions fall under that 92%, leaving the door wide open for speculation. Trump also asserted that the Autopen can only be used with the president’s explicit approval, and he accused Biden of being ‘not involved in the Autopen process.’ He even went as far as to warn that if Biden claims otherwise, he could face perjury charges.
Trump’s post didn’t hold back on the rhetoric: ‘The Radical Left Lunatics circling Biden around the beautiful Resolute Desk in the Oval Office took the Presidency away from him. I am hereby cancelling all Executive Orders, and anything else that was not directly signed by Crooked Joe Biden, because the people who operated the Autopen did so illegally.’
Here’s the kicker: Biden has vehemently denied any ‘cover-up,’ insisting he made all decisions as president and labeling Republicans who suggest otherwise as ‘liars.’ This back-and-forth raises a critical question: Who’s telling the truth? And more importantly, does Trump even have the legal authority to rescind Biden’s actions?
Trump’s fixation on the autopen isn’t new. Back in March, he argued that Biden’s use of the tool proved he wasn’t truly in charge during his presidency, rendering his actions ‘null and void.’ At the time, conservative legal scholar John Yoo suggested to CNN that Trump was ‘just having fun at Biden’s expense.’ But Trump doubled down, ordering an investigation into Biden’s autopen use and its alleged ties to ‘cognitive decline.’
Now, let’s get into the legal weeds. In 2005, the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel—under Republican President George W. Bush—conducted a thorough review of the autopen’s legality. Their conclusion? ‘The President need not personally perform the physical act of affixing his signature to a bill to sign it within the meaning of Article I, Section 7.’ This directly undermines Trump’s claims. And it doesn’t stop there—a 1929 memo from the U.S. solicitor general noted that the Constitution doesn’t even specify a method for issuing pardons, further weakening Trump’s argument.
Trump has particularly targeted Biden’s pardons, but even here, history doesn’t support his case. A separate congressional investigation questioned whether Biden was fully aware of the pardons and commutations signed via autopen, but it found no evidence that anyone other than Biden made the decisions.
So, where does this leave us? Trump’s bold claims are certainly attention-grabbing, but they appear to clash with established legal precedent. Here’s the million-dollar question: Is this a legitimate legal challenge, or just another chapter in the ongoing political feud between Trump and Biden? What do you think? Let us know in the comments—this is one debate you won’t want to miss!
