Trump makes unsupported claim Biden pardons are void as he used autopen
GuardianMAR 15
Trump Claims Biden's Pardons Void Due to Autopen Use
Above: US Pres. Donald Trump speaking at the Dept. of Justice on March 14, 2025. Image copyright: Andrew Harnik/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
The undeniable use of an autopen to sign many important documents, including pardons, from Biden's presidential term raises concerns that someone other than the cognitively declining former president was making major policy decisions in the White House. These documents shouldn't be valid.
Democratic narrative
Trump is going full dictator, but luckily the presidential pardon power used by Biden is essentially enshrined, as granted by the Constitution, and can't be revoked by subsequent presidents. The use of autopen is a long-established practice, and there's no requirement for handwritten signatures on presidential documents.