By Sama Marwan,
The Washington Post has reported that former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has previously criticized Canada over its trade policies, blamed Ukraine for Russia’s invasion, and attacked judges ruling against him, has now found a new target for his anger—the auto-pen.
The newspaper explained that previous U.S. presidents have used a relatively simple technology to replicate the presidential signature on documents when there were too many to sign manually or when logistical challenges made it difficult. The process is somewhat akin to a real estate transaction via DocuSign, but with far greater consequences.
The auto-pen is a device that uses real ink to replicate a person’s signature and is commonly used in greeting cards, certificates, and printed sales promotions.
Trump has recently claimed that his successor, President Joe Biden, used the device repeatedly and—without providing evidence—suggested that his unelected aides may have sometimes used it without his knowledge, effectively usurping executive powers illegally.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday night while returning from Florida, Trump stated:
“It was as if we had an auto-pen as president. Maybe we would have been better off if we had one. Did he even know what he was signing? Did he allow it? Or was someone in an office—maybe a far-left radical—signing off on whatever they wanted?”
Trump also declared that any documents not personally signed by Biden are “null and void,” a stance the Washington Post suggests could lead to legal battles. However, multiple legal reviews have concluded that auto-pen signatures are just as legally valid as handwritten ones.
Trump insisted:
“That’s up to the courts, but I say they are null and void. Because I’m sure Biden had no idea this was happening. Someone was using the auto-pen to sign things and grant pardons—for example, the January 6th Committee. Imagine, they issued pardons using an auto-pen. I don’t think Biden even knew about it.”
On Monday, Trump announced that he would not honor the pardons issued by Biden before leaving office, particularly those related to members of the January 6th Select Committee, which investigated Trump’s role in the Capitol riot. Among those pardoned were former Republican lawmakers Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, as well as Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin.
