Decoded: What is an autopen and did Biden use it to sign pardon documents?

Donald Trump claims Biden's pardons are invalid, alleging they were signed with an 'autopen'. Did you know that this device, used for decades, replicates official signatures without human involvement?

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US President Donald Trump has declared that all pardons signed by US President Joe Biden are invalid, claiming they were executed using an autopen – a mechanical device that reproduces a person’s signature.

 

“The ‘Pardons’ that Sleepy Joe Biden gave to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, and many others, are hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen. In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them!” Trump wrote.

 

He alleged that Biden had no knowledge or approval of the documents, suggesting potential criminal conduct by those involved.

 

Trump also accused members of the “Unselect Committee” of manipulating the process and claimed the documents were signed without the knowledge or consent of “the Worst President in the History of our Country, Crooked Joe Biden.”

 

 

What is an autopen and why does it matter? 

An autopen is a device used to sign documents without direct human involvement. It has been in use by US presidents and lawmakers for decades. Barack Obama was the first president to use an autopen to sign an executive order, according to Newsweek.

 

Interestingly, Trump himself has used an autopen extensively. A Daily Mail analysis found at least 25 identical Trump signatures on federal documents during his presidency, indicating autopen use.

 

While George W Bush avoided using it due to legal concerns, Obama used it openly, notably for the 2013 fiscal bill. Legal experts have debated the validity of autopen signatures, especially on critical documents, but there is no definitive ruling against their use for executive actions.

 

Allegations against Biden’s autopen use 

Trump’s claims follow a report by the Oversight Project, a division of the conservative think tank behind Project 2025. The group alleged that Biden used an autopen to sign “nearly every document we could find” during his presidency.

 

“We gathered every document we could find with Biden’s signature over the course of his presidency. All used the same autopen signature except for the announcement that the former President was dropping out of the race last year,” the Oversight Project posted on X.

 

 

They presented three examples of Biden’s autopen signatures on executive orders from August 2022 and December 2024, and a July 2024 letter where Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race. The two executive orders appeared to have identical autopen signatures, while the letter bore a different signature, possibly handwritten.

 

Fox News reported reviewing over 20 executive orders signed between 2021 and 2024, all allegedly bearing identical autopen signatures.

 

However, CNN reported in 2024 that autopen use in Biden’s administration was rare. Biden went to great lengths to sign key documents in person, such as a $40 billion Ukraine aid package signed in South Korea and a bill to prevent a government shutdown signed while on holiday in St Croix.

 

The Oversight Project has suggested Biden may not have personally approved these documents, raising questions about who controlled the autopen and what oversight was in place.

 

Political and legal reactions 

The allegations have sparked strong political reactions. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Trump ally, sent a letter to the Department of Justice calling for an investigation into whether Biden’s cognitive state allowed unelected staff to implement policies without his direct approval.

 

Bailey argued that if Biden was not fully aware of the orders being signed, they would be “null and void,” and states had a right to know.

 

He claimed that Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson was blocked by White House officials from meeting with Biden. Johnson later said in an interview that Biden appeared unaware of signing an executive order on energy exports, claiming he only authorised a study on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

 

The Oversight Project shared a video of Johnson’s interview, alleging Biden lacked control over key decisions. Heritage Foundation attorney Samuel Dewey noted Hunter Biden’s pardon signature seemed “shaky”, implying it was signed manually, unlike other autopen signatures.

 

[With agency inputs]