President Donald Trump escalated his challenge to his predecessor’s record on Tuesday evening, declaring that any official actions taken by former President Joe Biden using a mechanical “autopen” signature are now invalid.
In a sweeping statement posted to Truth Social, Trump announced that the directive applies to a broad range of executive maneuvers, including contracts, orders, and pardons.
“Any and all Documents, Proclamations, Executive Orders, Memorandums, or Contracts, signed by Order of the now infamous and unauthorized ‘AUTOPEN,’ within the Administration of Joseph R. Biden Jr., are hereby null, void, and of no further force or effect,” Trump wrote.
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The President warned anyone holding documents signed via the device that they had been “fully and completely terminated” and are of “no legal effect.”
This move widens the scope of Trump’s previous attacks on Biden’s administrative procedures. On March 17, he argued that pardons issued to members of the House Select Committee on January 6 were illegitimate due to the use of the signature-replicating machine. The expanded declaration reportedly extends to pardons issued to other high-profile figures, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Army Gen. Mark Milley, and members of the Biden family.
Scrutiny over the mechanical signatures intensified earlier this month following a report by the Oversight Project. In a March 6 statement on X, the group claimed an analysis of documents from Biden’s term showed a near-universal use of the device.
“We gathered every document we could find with Biden’s signature over the course of his presidency,” the Oversight Project stated. “All used the same autopen signature except for the announcement that the former President was dropping out of the race last year.”
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The group published comparisons between the alleged mechanical signatures and the handwritten signature on Biden’s July 21, 2024, letter withdrawing from the Democratic nomination.
Despite the broad language of Trump’s Tuesday order, at least one controversial pardon appears unaffected. The pardon granted to Hunter Biden on Dec. 1, 2024, is not expected to be voided; according to the White House statement released at the time, Joe Biden signed that specific document by hand.
The dispute over signature mechanics comes amid lingering questions regarding Biden’s capacity during his term. A Wall Street Journal report from late 2024 detailed how White House aides worked to “insulate” the former president from Cabinet members as his health reportedly declined.
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