President Donald Trump said he plans to cancel all executive actions signed by President Joe Biden using an autopen, calling the practice unconstitutional and insisting that presidential directives must be personally authorized by the commander in chief.
In a sharp critique of the Biden administration, Trump argued that any executive order authenticated by an autopen — a mechanical device used to replicate a signature — should be considered “illegitimate” and immediately revoked under his leadership. He claimed that allowing major policies to be approved through remote signatures undermines transparency and weakens executive accountability.
Autopen signatures, however, have been recognized for years as legally valid. Multiple U.S. presidents, including Barack Obama and George W. Bush, used autopen devices for various official documents when traveling or unavailable. Biden has continued that practice, and experts say the method is well within established federal norms.
Trump’s promise raises significant questions about how far a future administration could go in reversing policy. Undoing executive actions based solely on the method of signature — rather than policy content — would be unprecedented. Legal scholars warn that such a move would almost certainly trigger court challenges and fuel a new round of debates over presidential authority.
The scope of affected policies could be wide-ranging. Executive actions signed with the assistance of an autopen during the Biden presidency include directives on immigration enforcement, environmental regulations, student loan relief, federal hiring practices, and military policies. Analysts note that invalidating them wholesale could cause operational uncertainty across federal agencies.
The White House has not issued an immediate response, but officials have previously defended the use of autopen technology as a routine administrative tool that ensures continuity of government. They also point out that presidents often rely on the device to sign time-sensitive documents while traveling.
Trump’s announcement adds fuel to the escalating political confrontation over executive power — a conflict that increasingly centers not only on policy differences, but also on the rules and mechanisms of presidential governance itself.
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