President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social on Friday that he is cancelling all executive orders he says were signed by former President Joe Biden using an autopen, a device that reproduces a person’s signature. Trump claimed that roughly 92 percent of Biden’s executive orders were signed this way and are therefore invalid.
Why It Matters
Trump’s move follows his earlier directive to investigate Biden’s alleged reliance on an autopen to sign official documents. An autopen is a mechanical device that allows signatures to be affixed without the signer physically signing the document.
The White House has previously said that after Trump returned to office in January, he reversed dozens of Biden-era executive actions.
If Biden’s executive orders and related actions were ever officially ruled invalid, the consequences could be sweeping. Presidential pardons—including those granted to members of Biden’s family or other political allies—could be contested or even revoked, raising complex questions about due process, double jeopardy, and the finality of clemency.
The dispute also touches on the broader institution of the presidency. If Biden’s autopen use were somehow judged improper, it could lead to stricter rules around when and how presidents can delegate signing authority or rely on signature devices in future administrations—even though past presidents, Trump included, have used autopens for official correspondence and routine approvals.
Signature devices that allow a name to be affixed without the person present or actively signing have existed since at least the time of Thomas Jefferson.
What to Know
Trump has long accused Biden of approving important actions with an autopen and has sought to nullify those documents, including select pardons.
On Friday afternoon, he wrote on Truth Social:
“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. The Autopen is not allowed to be used if approval is not specifically given by the President of the United States. The Radical Left Lunatics circling Biden around the beautiful Resolute Desk in the Oval Office took the Presidency away from him.”
He continued:
“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. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
According to The American Presidency Project (APP), Biden issued 162 executive orders while in office. The APP does not specify how many, if any, were signed using an autopen.
Even if Biden did use an autopen, a 2005 opinion from the Department of Justice stated that the president is not required to personally perform the physical act of signing a bill for it to become law, as long as he has decided to approve and sign it. On that basis, Trump’s legal theory has been found wanting, as previously reported.
Trump himself has acknowledged using an autopen, though he told reporters he reserved it for “only very unimportant papers,” such as letters.
In June, Trump alleged that Biden’s aides relied on the autopen to implement “radical” policies. Biden pushed back, saying: “Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.”
What People Are Saying
Representative James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, wrote on X on Friday:
“I applaud President Trump for deeming President Biden’s autopen actions NULL AND VOID. The House Oversight Committee recently exposed how the Biden Autopen Presidency is one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history. As Americans witnessed President Biden’s decline with their own eyes, Biden’s inner circle sought to deceive the public, conceal his condition, and take unauthorized executive actions using the autopen—actions that are now invalid. The House Oversight Committee delivered crucial transparency, and now President Trump and his administration are delivering accountability.”
Attorney Aaron Parnas responded on X the same day:
“Joe Biden can’t be charged with perjury. He never made any statements under oath. If lying was the only element of perjury, Trump would be spending a lifetime in prison right now.”
What Happens Next?
For now, the immediate legal effect of Trump’s declaration remains uncertain. Courts, Congress, and executive branch lawyers will likely play a central role in determining whether his attempt to unilaterally void Biden-era actions has any binding force—and what it could mean for policies and pardons tied to Biden’s presidency.
