Trump Implements Strict Autopen Rules Following Biden-Era Controversy

The Biden administration faced scrutiny over the extensive use of autopen signatures, raising questions about authority and legality in presidential decision-making.

President Trump has introduced more restrictive guidelines for the use of autopen signatures, limiting their application to ensure direct presidential oversight on critical documents.
A Heritage Foundation report highlighted extensive use of autopen signatures during President Biden's term, including for pardons and executive orders, raising concerns about the validity of such actions.
Critics argue that Biden's aides may have exceeded their authority by using the autopen without clear presidential consent, though some former staffers dismissed these claims as baseless.
Autopen usage in presidential administrations dates back to Lyndon Johnson, but no president has been alleged to use it as extensively as Biden, according to the Heritage Foundation's findings.
Trump's new rules mandate that the autopen can only be used for routine purposes or multiple copies of documents, and always with explicit presidential approval.