Trump Invalidates Biden Decrees signed with Autopen
WASHINGTON – Former President Donald Trump announced Friday he is nullifying decrees signed by his successor, Joe Biden, using an autopen – a mechanical device that replicates a signature. Trump claimed approximately 92% of Biden’s executive actions were signed in this manner.
“Any document signed by ‘sleepy’ Joe Biden with the signing machine is hereby null and void and of no force or effect,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.”I hereby cancel all executive orders and anything that was not signed directly by the dishonest Joe Biden, as the people who operated the autopen did so illegally.”
The legal basis for Trump’s action is unclear, and it remains uncertain whether he possesses the authority to overturn prior executive orders or decrees. Legal experts note that the use of an autopen is not, in itself, grounds for invalidating presidential actions.
The Justice Department stated in 2005 that a president is not required to physically sign legislation and can authorize an official “to place the president’s signature on such law, such as with a signing machine.” The New York Times reported in 2011 that Barack Obama was the frist president to utilize an autopen while traveling in Europe.
While Trump is within his rights to revoke executive orders, according to legal scholar Ed Whelan, he lacks the same authority regarding enacted laws or pardons signed via autopen.
Biden, 82 at the end of his term, had granted pardons in his final days to individuals targeted by Trump’s attacks, including his son, legislators who investigated the former president, a critical general, and the nation’s leading Covid-19 expert. Trump is currently 79, and his term is scheduled to conclude in January 2029.
