Days after President Trump announced plans to investigate Joe Biden for his use of an autopen during his presidency, the former world leader spoke out about the situation.
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In a statement, Biden pushed back on Trump’s allegations. “Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency,” Biden declared, per Axios. “I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclaimations.”
He then pointed out, “Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.”
Biden also noted that the autopen investigation is “nothing more than a distraction” by Trump and Congressional Republicans, who he said were “working to push disastrous legislation that would cut essential programs like Medicaid.”
“[They want to] raise costs on American families,” Biden alleged. “All to pay for tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and big corporations.”
Biden was referring to President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which has been criticized by Democrats and Republicans alike. It has even caused a rift between Trump and his key ally in the 2024 Presidential Election, Elon Musk.
Musk called the “Big Beautiful Bill” an “abomination” in a post on X last week, triggering a feud between him and the world leader.
President Trump Recently Ordered an investigation into Joe Biden’s Autopen Usage
According to Axios, President Trump first raised concerns about Joe Biden’s use of an autopen last month.
While speaking to reporters on May 20, Trump stated, “We’re gonna start looking into this whole thing with who signed his legislation. Who signed legislation opening our border? I don’t think he knew.”
Although he acknowledged that he uses autopens on occasion, Trump said, “We may use it, as an example, to send some young person a letter, because it’s nice.”
He further alleged that legislation was signed by an autopen without Biden’s knowledge. “Who was operating the autopen?” he questioned. “You know who signed it? Radical left lunatics who were running our country. And the autopen signed it.”
Trump also said he thinks it’s “very disrespectful” to people when they get an autopen signature. “I’d like to do it myself,” he said about signing letters. But he noted he receives thousands of letters a week, and it’s “not possible to do.”
According to the 2005 guidance from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, the President of the United States “need not personally perform the physical act of affixing his signature to a bill he approves and decides to sign in order for the bill to become law.”
“Rather, the president may sign a bill… by directing a subordinate to affix the President’s signature to such a bill, for example by autopen,” the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel states, per NBC News.
There is no official record of Biden using an autopen for official government business. However, President Trump claimed in his memorandum, “The vast majority of Biden’s executive actions were signed using a mechanical signature pen, often called an autopen, as opposed to Biden’s own hand.”