What is an autopen used by US presidents?

AlArabiya English

Presidents have used autopens for decades—but the device use is now in the spotlight after President Trump called former President Biden's use of it to sign pardons "disgraceful."   Here's what we know about the device and its history.

Transcript

00:00Does using an auto pen count as a real signature?

00:03Well, President Donald Trump doesn't seem to think so. Before we get into that, let's take a look at what an auto pen actually is.

00:12An auto pen is a robotic arm that copies a real signature. Not a stamp, not digital.

00:17It physically moves a pen to sign just like a human hand. And it's not new.

00:22It dates back to the 1800s and U.S. presidents have used them since the 1950s.

00:27Eisenhower was one of the first and since then nearly every president,

00:31Reagan, Clinton, Bush, Obama, and even Trump has used one. Trump admits he used an auto pen, but says it was only for unimportant papers.

00:39He's now calling former President Biden's use of such a device for pardons disgraceful. What does the law say?

00:45There's no law requiring a president to physically sign a pardon.

00:49According to reports, a significant number of Biden's signatures, including on pardons, were made by an auto pen.

00:55But some argue the real issue isn't the auto pen. It's who was pardoned.

01:00Biden issued preemptive pardons for lawmakers and staff involved in the January 6th investigation.

01:05So does it really matter how a president chooses to sign important documents? Let me know what you think in the comments.

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