
US President Donald Trump has taken aim at Formar US President Joe Biden over the controversy surrounding Biden's use of an autopen to sign official documents during his presidency.
The issue has reignited discussions about Biden’s health and the legitimacy of his leadership.
In a social media post on Truth Social, Trump posted three images side by side: his official portrait from his first term, an image of Biden's autopen, and his official portrait for his second term. Alongside the images, Trump commented, "The person who was the real President during the Biden years was the person who controlled the Autopen!"
Trump continued to speak on the topic during a press briefing in the Oval Office on Friday, stating, “The man was grossly incompetent. All you have to do is take a look, he signs by autopen. Who was signing all this stuff by autopen? Who would think to sign important documents by autopen?” He added, "These are major documents you're signing, you're proud to sign, yet you have your signature on something and in 300 years, they say ‘oh look.’ Can you imagine everything was signed by autopen? Almost everything. Nobody has ever heard of such a thing. It should have never happened.”
Trump’s post and comments have sparked a wide range of reactions, with many social media users supporting Trump’s claims. Some have questioned the legitimacy of Biden’s presidency, linking the autopen controversy to broader concerns about Biden’s mental acuity. One X user commented, "Biden was an illegitimate president. Who controlled the autopen?"
Others, including Vice President JD Vance and Missouri Lieutenant Governor David Wasinger, also shared the images and echoed similar sentiments on social media. Elon Musk contributed with a post featuring the autopen images, using emojis to highlight his reaction.
The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project recently published a report revealing that the majority of official documents signed by Biden during his presidency appeared to bear the same autopen signature. The group collected multiple examples, including executive orders from 2022 and 2024, all featuring a consistent signature that raised questions about whether Biden personally authorized these documents.
The Oversight Project’s post included a claim that "whoever controlled the autopen controlled the presidency." The group also noted that, aside from the announcement where Biden revealed he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race, all other signatures during Biden’s term seemed to be produced by the autopen.
Trump’s comments and the renewed focus on the autopen signature have ignited further debate about the nature of presidential leadership, particularly in regard to the use of technology in signing critical documents. The issue continues to fuel political discussions, with both supporters and detractors offering different perspectives on the significance of the autopen controversy.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ