Trump Targets Biden's Autopen Signatures

In a bold move on December 2, 2025, President Donald Trump announced that he would terminate all documents, including pardons, signed by former President Joe Biden using an autopen. This automated device, traditionally employed by presidents for high-volume ceremonial signatures, has come under scrutiny by Trump and his allies, who claim—without evidence—that Biden's use of it undermines his legitimacy or awareness of such actions. Trump posted on Truth Social that pardons or legal documents signed with the autopen were null and void.

However, legal scholars widely rejected the validity of Trump’s move, emphasizing that a sitting president lacks the authority to revoke a former president's pardons unless a court finds them invalid. Experts from Stanford, Michigan State, and the University of St. Thomas stress that a court would require substantial proof that Biden did not authorize the signatures. There’s currently no evidence that Biden used an autopen for pardons specifically. Trump's announcement follows a pattern of casting doubt on Biden's mental fitness and methods of governance. It also coincides with his own broad use of pardon powers, notably pardoning former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, whom he claims was unfairly prosecuted by the Biden administration.