Former President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that all documents signed using an autopen during Joe Biden’s presidency, including pardons, executive orders, memorandums, and contracts, are “null, void, and of no further force or effect.” Trump specified that the declaration covers all legal documents, including pardons granted to Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, and allies such as former pandemic adviser Anthony Fauci.
Trump’s statement directs that anyone who received documents signed by the autopen “please be advised that said Document has been fully and completely terminated, and is of no Legal effect.” The autopen, a mechanical device that allows signatures to be reproduced quickly and accurately, has been used by presidents from both parties in the past.
Legal experts note that it is unclear whether Trump has the authority to unilaterally void his predecessor’s actions. Constitutional scholars generally agree that presidential pardons are absolute and final, regardless of how they were signed. Biden, in his final days in office, also issued pardons to his siblings, members of the committee investigating the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots, and former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley, though it is uncertain if all were autopen-signed.
The announcement follows Trump’s continued criticism of Biden, whom he and supporters have argued lacked the mental faculties to govern effectively in his final term. Biden and his allies have denied such claims, emphasizing that the pardons were intended to shield recipients from politically motivated attacks and were not admissions of wrongdoing.
Trump’s statement represents another high-profile assertion of executive authority, continuing his pattern of testing the limits of presidential powers.
