Trump Declares Biden's "Autopen" Pardons Void

The autopen pardon controversy is largely led by Trump and MAGA influencers who see Biden’s autopen use as fraudulent and a sign of executive misconduct. Meanwhile, the Left and legal experts argue there is no legal basis for overturning the pardons, viewing the claim as a baseless political stunt.

March 17, 2025

The Basics:
​President Trump has declared that pardons issued by former President Joe Biden are "void, vacant, and of no further force or effect," alleging they were signed using an autopen without Biden's direct knowledge.

Notably, Trump is using an analysis from The Oversight Project, a branch of The Heritage Foundation — a Conservative think tank that wrote Project 2025 — which claims Biden used an automated signature.

The signatures picked by The Heritage Foundation are from the National Archives, which doesn’t display original copies, rather digitized versions which use a computer-generated signature. This means the online copies of Biden's signature aren’t the original version. There are also photos of Biden signing many of the documents that are allegedly signed by autopen.

🔵 The Left’s Perspective:
Democrats and legal experts note the connection between Trump’s declaration and the analysis from The Oversight Project. They say the claims are baseless, and a politically motivated attempt to undermine Biden's decisions and distract from his own legal challenges. They point to numerous issues with the claim, including how the chosen signatures are from National Archives, which doesn’t display original copies but digital versions with a digital signature, as well as the photographic evidence of some of the documents being signed.

In addition, they call out that previous presidents, including Trump, have utilized the device for documents. They believe that the president's authority is not constrained by the method of signature, and emphasize that there is no constitutional requirement for a handwritten signature.

🔴 The Right’s Perspective:
Trump’s supporters argue that using an autopen for critical actions like presidential pardon raises questions about the authenticity and validity of the documents. They argue that if Biden was unaware of the specific pardons being issued, it undermines the intentionality required for the exercise of presidential clemency powers. This perspective holds that the legitimacy of these pardons should be scrutinized, especially when they involve individuals connected to investigations of the previous administration.

Generally, right-leaning sources do not bring up the origin of the analysis or mention that Trump uses autopen himself.

While no Republican has explicitly criticized the declaration, there is a lack of robust support. The narrative seems more driven by Trump and MAGA influencers than by a unified Republican voice.

⚖️ The Middle Ground:
The claim that Biden’s pardons are "void" due to use of autopen appears to be lacking substantial legal grounding. Trump is relying on an analysis from The Oversight Project, a branch of The Heritage Foundation, the same conservative think tank behind Project 2025. This report alleges Biden used an automated signature, but the evidence cited comes from National Archives digitized versions, which do not display original documents but rather computer-generated signatures. Additionally, photographic proof further questions that source.

While some Republicans have supported Trump's claim, notably, there has been no unified GOP support behind the claim. The lack of strong backing from conservatives suggests this is primarily driven by Trump and MAGA influencers rather than a serious legal challenge.

Given the weakness of the evidence and the absence of institutional Republican support, this claim is unlikely to have any legal consequences. Instead, it appears to be a political stunt aimed at undermining Biden’s actions, rather than a serious challenge to presidential pardon powers.

Language Differences:

🔵 Left-Leaning Language: “A baseless conspiracy,” “misleading,” “a political stunt”.

🔴 Right-Leaning Language: “Void and vacant,” “fraudulent,” “illegitimate”.

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