Can Trump's Typing Skills Override the 'Autopen'? President Invalidates Biden's Orders and Pardons Without Handwritten Signature

President Donald Trump has, for the second time in less than a week, announced that he is nullifying a series of executive actions from the Biden administration, claiming they were signed using an autopen device rather than by hand. In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that any and all Documents, Proclamations, Executive Orders, Memorandums, or Contracts signed via autopen under President Biden are hereby null, void, and of no further force or effect.

He further asserted that individuals who received pardons or other forms of executive clemency from Biden should be advised that these actions have been fully and completely terminated and hold no legal effect. This follows a similar post just five days earlier in which Trump also declared that any document signed with an autopen was terminated, and of no further force or effect.

Trump criticized the use of the autopen without explicit approval from the president, claiming that the process was illegal and that Biden himself was not involved. He wrote, 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. Joe Biden was not involved in the Autopen process and, if he says he was, he will be brought up on charges of perjury.

If taken at face value, Trumps sweeping declaration could impact multiple executive actions still in place from Bidens term, including orders imposing sanctions on Russia and measures aimed at countering Chinese influence and safeguarding American supply chains.

While the White House has not responded to requests for clarification on whether this amounts to a full rollback of autopen-signed actions, legal experts note that a president can revoke prior executive orders and memoranda through a formal executive order specifying which are being repealed. However, declaring Biden-era pardons and commutations null and void is legally invalid, as such grants cannot be rescinded once issued.

Trumps repeated attacks on autopen use appear to be part of an ongoing effort to undermine Biden, the only opponent to defeat Trump in an election. Earlier this year, a pro-Trump report claimed Biden relied on the autopen for numerous last-minute executive actions, including pardons for several of Trumps political adversaries and members of Bidens family.

Among those who received preemptive pardons were Biden family members James, Frank, and Valerie Biden Owens, as well as her husband John Owens. Other pardons included Dr. Anthony Fauci, General Mark Milley, lawmakers involved in the House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack, and police officers and staff who participated in the investigation.

Republicans have argued that Bidens use of the autopen indicates he was not personally engaged in governing, while former aides maintain that staff decisions did not replace presidential authority. The Justice Departments Office of Legal Counsel has long permitted autopen use, stating since 2005 that a president does not need to physically sign documents if they have authorized a subordinate to do so.

Author: Harper Simmons