Trump Threatens Biden With Perjury Charges, Nullifies Auto-Penned Orders
President Donald Trump issued a sharp rebuke Friday aimed at his predecessor, announcing that all documents signed using Joe Biden’s autopen would be “terminated” and warning that Biden could face perjury charges if he claims to have authorized their use without direct involvement.
In a late-day Truth Social post, Trump accused former President Biden of delegating executive authority to unelected aides throughout his term, claiming this amounted to a de facto usurpation of presidential power.
“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.”
He went further, accusing Biden of being essentially absent from office: “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.”
Trump then delivered a blunt warning: “Joe Biden was not involved in the Autopen process and, if he says he was, he will be brought up on charges of perjury.”
Legal Controversy Over Presidential Signature Authority
Autopen usage by presidents is not new and has been employed for decades by both parties. Though rare for legislation, the device is commonly used for proclamations, clemency letters, and other routine documents — provided there is presidential authorization. In 2011, President Obama even used an autopen to sign a debt-ceiling extension while abroad.
Legal scholars have generally held that so long as the president authorizes its use, the signature is binding. However, Trump contends Biden’s aides exceeded that boundary.
While a House Republican-led probe into Biden’s use of the autopen failed to produce direct evidence of unauthorized action, investigators found internal staff concerns about how to implement verbally issued orders — especially in the final weeks of Biden’s presidency. Some emails reportedly suggested confusion over clemency grants and other sensitive actions that were rubber-stamped with minimal oversight.
Bigger Implications Ahead
Trump has already rescinded several Biden-era executive orders and regulations but is now going further, suggesting that entire categories of government action under Biden may be invalidated.
The statement underscores Trump’s broader effort to portray Biden’s presidency as illegitimate or fundamentally compromised — a key theme as Trump moves to dismantle the bureaucratic legacy of his predecessor and reassert direct executive control.