President Donald Trump just said that every official document signed by former President Joe Biden using an autopen is now “null, void, and of no further force or effect.” This major move could wipe out executive orders, contracts, and pardons from the end of Biden’s time in office.
Trump made the announcement on Truth Social on Tuesday, saying that Biden’s use of the signature machine was completely “unauthorized.” An autopen is a mechanical device that copies a leader’s signature. Many presidents from both parties have used it for years, but Trump is now challenging how Biden used it.
However, Trump faces a major constitutional problem with this declaration. Article II of the Constitution doesn’t give a president the power to simply erase or nullify the official acts of a previous administration. Legally, Trump can’t just announce that Biden’s signed documents are invalid and expect his word to become law. The validity of presidential actions is governed by constitutional processes, not unilateral declarations from a successor.
This is going to cause immediate problems for people who received clemency actions. As per AOL, Trump specifically said that anyone who got “Pardons,” “Commutations,” or any other legal document signed this way should know the document “has been fully and completely terminated, and is of no Legal effect.”
Trump’s move puts high-profile pardons in serious jeopardy
This is bad news for well-known people who got pre-emptive pardons right before Trump took office. Those pardons were meant to protect allies and top officials, including General Mark Milley, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and members of the January 6 committee. The list also included Biden’s family members, like his brothers James and Frank, his sister Valerie, and their spouses.
Trump’s order targets actions from the final days of Biden’s presidency. He wrote that “Any and all Documents, Proclamations, Executive Orders, Memorandums, or Contracts, signed by Order of the now infamous and unauthorized ‘AUTOPEN,’ within the Administration of Joseph R Biden Jr, are hereby null, void, and of no further force or effect.”
Trump’s decision comes from claims that Joe Biden relied too much on aides and tools like the autopen due to age and health concerns. Trump has said that staff made major decisions without Biden’s full involvement. Trump has even made wild claims about Biden being replaced in recent months. A Wall Street Journal report from December 19, 2024, detailed how White House aides “insulated” Biden from even Cabinet members as his health declined.
The Oversight Project looked through official records and posted on X that the autopen appeared to be used on many documents during Biden’s presidency. They compared what they thought were autopen signatures to the one on Biden’s letter where he said he wouldn’t accept the Democratic nomination. Every document they checked used the same autopen signature, except for that letter on July 21, 2024.
Trump’s position also creates a dangerous precedent for his own presidency. If he declares Biden’s autopen-signed documents invalid, the same standard would have to apply to documents Trump himself signed using an autopen during his first term as president. This double standard raises serious questions about the legal consistency of his declaration.
Also, one major exception exists: Hunter Biden’s pardon from December 1, 2024, is safe. That document was personally signed by Joe Biden, according to the White House statement at the time. While many other high-profile people now face uncertainty, that pardon remains valid. Trump’s focus on the Biden family has been intense, including moments like what Barron Trump allegedly said at inauguration that went viral.
Published: Dec 3, 2025 09:22 am