Trump Declares Biden’s Autopen Orders, Documents Null and Void
President Donald Trump announced that any document former President Joe Biden signed using the autopen has been “hereby terminated.” The Trump administration has repeatedly criticized the previous administration’s reliance on the device, which applies a signature to documents without the president physically signing them.
Critics of the former president argued that documents were signed without Biden’s knowledge, fueling claims that his cognitive ability declined during his time in the White House, Mediaite reported.
Biden has rejected those allegations and said he was personally responsible for every pardon issued in the final days of his presidency.
“Any document signed by Sleepy Joe Biden with the Autopen, which was approximately 92% of them, is hereby terminated, and of no further force or effect,” Trump wrote.
“The Autopen is not allowed to be used if approval is not specifically given by the President of the United States. The Radical Left Lunatics circling Biden around the beautiful Resolute Desk in the Oval Office took the Presidency away from him. I am hereby cancelling all Executive Orders, and anything else that was not directly signed by Crooked Joe Biden, because the people who operated the Autopen did so illegally. Joe Biden was not involved in the Autopen process and, if he says he was, he will be brought up on charges of perjury.”
Presidents are believed to have used versions of the autopen for more than 200 years, dating back to Thomas Jefferson, who obtained one after it was patented in 1803, according to the Shapell Manuscript Foundation.
Gerald Ford, Lyndon B. Johnson, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama are all known to have used the device.
Obama became the first president to use an autopen to sign legislation in 2011.
In 2005, during the Bush administration, the Justice Department concluded the autopen is legal.
“A person may sign a document by directing that his signature be affixed to it by another,” a DOJ memo said. Legal scholars have also noted that the Constitution does not require presidents to personally sign pardons.
Trump made similar allegations about Biden’s autopen use in June, at which time he called for an investigation.
On Oct. 28, the Republican led House Oversight Committee recommended the Justice Department investigate the issue.
The White House responded to questions about how Biden’s orders could be “terminated” by referring back to Trump’s Truth Social post.
Trump told reporters in March that he has used the autopen “only for very unimportant papers.”
“You know, we get thousands and thousands of letters, letters of support for young people, from people that aren’t feeling well, etcetera,” Trump said.
“But to sign pardons and all of the things that he signed with an autopen is disgraceful.”
In a July interview with The New York Times, Biden said Republicans are “liars” for claiming he was unaware of his own White House actions that were signed using the autopen.
“I made every decision,” Biden said.
President Trump announced Thursday that he plans to temporarily halt immigration from third-world countries following the shooting of two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C. In a post on Truth Social, the president said the nation has advanced technologically but “Immigration Policy has eroded those gains and living conditions for many,” RedState reported.
He wrote that he will “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover, terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions, including those signed by Sleepy Joe Biden’s Autopen, and remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our Country, end all Federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens of our Country, denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility, and deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization.”
Thune Breaks With Trump, Backs Cornyn After Paxton Endorsement
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Tuesday he will continue supporting Sen. John Cornyn despite President Donald Trump endorsing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in one of the most closely watched Republican Senate primaries of the 2026 cycle.
Speaking to reporters following Trump’s endorsement announcement, Thune praised Cornyn as “a principled conservative” and an “effective senator” for Texas, signaling a rare split between Senate Republican leadership and the president.
“Cornyn is a principled conservative. He is a very effective senator for the state of Texas,” Thune said.
“None of us can control what the president does. That doesn’t change the way I feel. I will continue to be supportive of Senator Cornyn in his re-election,” Thune added.
The comments came just hours after Trump formally endorsed Paxton on Truth Social, delivering a major boost to the Texas attorney general as he seeks to unseat Cornyn in the Republican runoff election.
In his endorsement, Trump criticized Cornyn for insufficient loyalty during politically difficult periods of his presidency.
“Ken Paxton has been a warrior for Texas values and for our America First agenda,” Trump wrote. He added that Cornyn “was not supportive of me when times were tough.”
The endorsement immediately intensified an already bitter and nationally significant Republican primary battle that has exposed growing tensions inside the GOP between establishment Senate Republicans and Trump-aligned populists.
Early voting in the runoff began Monday and continues through Friday, with Election Day set for May 26.
Despite the internal divisions, Thune expressed confidence Republicans would retain control of the Senate in November.
“I’m very confident we’ll hang on — and maybe even expand the majority of the United States Senate,” Thune said.
Republicans currently hold a six-seat Senate majority. Democrats would need a net gain of four seats to retake control of the chamber.
Several races, including contests in Maine, Michigan, and North Carolina, are currently viewed as highly competitive.
The Texas race has become particularly important because Democrats believe a bruising Republican runoff could weaken the eventual GOP nominee heading into the general election against Democratic candidate James Talarico.
Recent polling has suggested an unusually competitive general election environment in Texas. One survey released Monday reportedly showed both Cornyn and Paxton running roughly even with Talarico in hypothetical head-to-head matchups.
That possibility has alarmed some Republicans, particularly moderates concerned that Paxton’s legal controversies and polarizing political image could jeopardize a seat long considered safely Republican.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski openly criticized Trump’s endorsement Tuesday, warning it could backfire politically.
“I was supremely disappointed,” Murkowski said. “How does that help strengthen the president’s hand when we lose a state like Texas?”
Paxton has remained a dominant figure among Texas conservatives despite years of legal and political controversies, including securities fraud charges that were later resolved and an impeachment battle in the Texas legislature from which he was ultimately acquitted by the state Senate.
Trump allies have framed the race as a test of loyalty to the president and the broader America First movement, while Cornyn supporters argue the longtime senator offers stability, fundraising strength, and legislative experience critical for maintaining Republican control of the Senate.
Cornyn, who has served in the Senate since 2002 and previously chaired the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has longstanding ties to GOP leadership and donor networks in Washington. But critics on the right have increasingly portrayed him as part of the party establishment out of step with the Republican base.
Paxton has sought to capitalize on that frustration, presenting himself as a fighter aligned more closely with Trump’s populist agenda on immigration, election integrity, and federal power.
The runoff has also become a broader proxy battle over the future direction of Senate Republicans after Trump’s sweeping victories reshaped the party.
