Donald Trump has long accused former President Joe Biden of overusing an autopen, even calling for Biden’s autopen-signed pardons to be voided. But now two forensic document experts say Trump himself used an autopen for his latest round of pardons, prompting the Justice Department to intervene.
Trump has frequently mocked Biden for his age and health, and has repeatedly criticized his alleged reliance on the autopen. He even replaced Biden’s portrait with an autopen at his “Presidential Walk of Fame” display. Republicans in Congress also pushed Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate, arguing that autopen use under Biden lacked oversight.
However, autopen use is not new—past presidents, including Trump, have relied on it. Experts told the Associated Press that signatures on several pardons Trump issued on November 7 were identical, suggesting autopen use for high-profile recipients such as Darryl Strawberry, Glen Casada, and Michael McMahon. The Justice Department later corrected the documents and called the issue a “technical error,” blaming staffing shortages tied to the “Democrat shutdown.”
A DOJ spokesperson said Trump personally signed all seven pardons, and that the website was updated to reflect unique signatures. The White House echoed this, calling the controversy a “non-story” and insisting Trump signs all pardons by hand. They argued the media should focus instead on Biden’s alleged autopen use.